A Bubbles' Lifestory
by Winter's Melon
Summary: Nine friends receive their Hogwarts letters and go on a strange adventure. Back at home, they're pulled into another world, one of Greek and Roman myths. Jo's confused, Shonk knows everything, Kayoon doesn't care, Olivia wants to die, Katherine finds a cat, Jenny begs for a dog, Jiwon's water bottle is still missing, Audrey's just along for the ride, and Emma is 100% done. ON HOLD
1. Prologue: Simple Life

**Prologue: Simple Life**

"Hey!"

The simple retort rings out over the sleepy apartment complex. Several people poke their heads out to see the commotion, before sleepily withdrawing to beds or couches. It was a hot, simmering August day, almost 100 degrees, and nobody felt like moving.

Nobody, except for a small group of friends. There are nine of them: Audrey Chyung, Jiwon Seo, Jenny Mar, Katherine Huang, Joanne Lee, Selena Qiao, Olivia Chen, Kayoon Koh, and Emma Li, and they are the only children in their apartment complex.

The Chyungs, Seos, Mars, Huangs, Lees, Qiaos, Chens, Kohs, and Lis are all rather strange families in that community, though some are stranger than others.

The Mar, Lee, and Chen family are the most normal. The parents have the most normal jobs, and the kids are the most normal. The Seos, Qiaos, and Lis are semi-normal. One parent is stranger than the other, but the kids aren't too bad (or nutty, anyway). It's the Chyungs, Huangs, and Kohs that draw the most attention. In those families, none of the parents work, yet they are very rich with lots of money. Their families dress in weird apparel, and there are always bangs and pops heard in their apartments, along with an occasional squeak or croak. Nobody comments on it because it's rude and not at all polite, but the nine families are something else.

Audrey, in the middle in age, is a rather sleepy child who has a witch-like laugh. She is very dopey and likes to play pranks, while also collecting blackmail at an alarming rate. She is the culprit who usually steals something of Joanne's or Jiwon's.

Jiwon, one of the older kids, is very loud and eccentric. She is very energetic and likes playing with the neighborhood children. Her favorite hobby is listening to kpop, but she always loses her water bottle, either to one of her friends or to her forgetfulness.

Jenny, one of the younger children, is very bright and easily excited; however, she is very mischievous and has developed an almost obsessive liking to dogs (though she is allergic). She loves playing pranks with Audrey, but she doesn't laugh as creepily.

Katherine, one of the older kids, is rather quiet and reclusive, but she is just as mischievous as Jenny, although in a more cunning sense. She is obsessed over cats, and is the opposite of Jenny. It's almost like the sun and moon if they didn't have the same habits.

Joanne, in the middle in age, is a very smart girl who gets bothered a lot by the rest of her friends. Although she seems like the most mature, she is really one of the most immature members of the friend group. She likes pandas, but she isn't obsessed with them.

Selena, one of the older kids, is very laid-back and mature. Although she prefers watching her fellow friends play pranks, she also joins or begins some of them. The best pranking ideas are from her, though you didn't hear that from me.

Olivia, one of the younger children, is rather opinionated but kind and sharp. She is usually the one to return Joanne's stolen belongings, but she takes part and much joy in stealing Jiwon's article of bottled water. She is scary when mischievous, but very approachable.

Kayoon, in the middle in age, is very mature. She likes to sit back and laugh at her friends when they do something embarrassing. She is very eloquent and intelligent, but doesn't always use that intelligence when around her friends. It's a side effect, I guess.

Last but not least, Emma, one of the younger children, is rather sarcastic, but apt and gifted. Though she doesn't actively take part in pranks, she's usually the thinker of the pranking group, opting to hide the stolen articles in clever places or run for the hills over baiting the person.

On that August day, Jiwon's water bottle and Joanne's lunchbox have just been stolen, again. It has become a running joke within the friends to steal the two things (along with Joanne's backpack and water bottle on certain occasions), and it happens quite often. Currently, Jiwon is chasing after Jenny, Katherine, and Emma. The three weave between trees and lamp poles, throwing the bottle between each-other and jokingly taunting Jiwon as she runs between the three.

"Come on, Seo!" Emma calls as she dodges behind a bush. "Get your water bottle!" Jiwon races to take back her water bottle from Emma, but she tosses it to Jenny, who runs cackling back towards their apartments. "Give it to me!" Katherine tells Jenny as she sprints past her hiding spot. Jenny sneakily tosses the water bottle to Katherine before sprinting towards another tree, Jiwon following behind. Katherine quietly runs back to where Emma is, and the two wait for Jenny to return. She does in moments, but Jiwon follows her. "Oh, crap!" Emma yells, grabbing the water bottle.

"Profanity!" Katherine declares, but Emma pays no heed as she rushes past her and back towards the apartments. Jenny, Jiwon, and Katherine follow close behind, Jenny distracting Jiwon as Katherine runs up next to her. "Here, you take it and run to my apartment. Jenny and I will run to Jo's place, and we'll backtrack back to mine," Emma instructs through breaths. Katherine is about to agree before she spots a strange sight. Through all the sweat, heat waves, and bright light of the sun, Katherine spies a large bird, an _owl_ , flying through the air with four strange-looking letters in its beak. "Look!" she yells, stopping all her friends in their tracks. "Look at that owl!"

"What in the world is that?!" Jiwon wonders, thoughts of her water bottle completely forgotten as she stares in wonder at the flying bird. Owls never appear in New York, day or night. Although Katherine had once seen an owl fly past her window, it was too dark to see, and she hadn't paid it much mind. In school, they learned that owls were nocturnal creatures, but this one was flying in clear daylight.

Jenny squints up at the flying bird and asks, "Why is it holding _letters_? It's as if it's being used as a mailman!" And indeed, this innocent prediction was actually the most accurate. The owl by then had flown much lower in the sky, and the children could see strange, green ink on the letters. Swooping low, the owl drops the four letters on their heads before flying up to a window of the apartment. "Hey, Katherine, isn't that your apartment?" Jiwon asks, but the question is soon forgotten as they focus their attention on the letter. Emma, the first to pick up her letter, is shocked by how accurate the letter is. "Emma Li, Seventh Door on the Twelfth Floor, New York, New York," she reads aloud, before carefully opening the letter. Removing the letter, she reads,

" _Dear Ms. Li,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Jenny, having opened her letter, reads a nearly identical letter:

" _Dear Ms. Mar,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Katherine's letter reads as following:

" _Dear Ms. Huang,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Jiwon's letter is the same as her friends:

" _Dear Ms. Seo,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..." Katherine mutters quietly. "How come I've heard of this school before?"

"The more important question is, why the hell is this school called 'Hogwarts?' And what's with the witchcraft and wizardry part?" Emma asks in a dark tone. She is not amused.

"Let's see if Jo and the others have also gotten the same letter," Jiwon says, scanning her own letter once more.

"You're right," Jenny agrees. "We've got to tell them." The four friends nod to one another, before racing off to find their other friends.

At the same time, Joanne is chasing after Audrey and Selena, Kayoon and Olivia walking behind them while talking quietly about random things. "Give me back my lunchbox!" Joanne screams in a shrill voice. Audrey merely cackles her unique laugh before passing the lunchbox to Selena, who dangles it tauntingly in front of Joanne's face before running towards a random tree by the apartment complex. "Give it back!" Joanne yells, trying desperately to wrench her lunchbox from Selena's hands. Selena only smiles brightly before chucking the lunchbox onto a nearby rock. Joanne runs toward it, but Olivia grabs the handle and passes the lunchbox to Kayoon.

Kayoon looks at the lunchbox in her hands. Ignoring Joanne's somewhat desperate pleas to return her stolen belonging, Kayoon looks inside before grabbing the first thing she sees: a fruit roll. "It's a fruit roll!" she squeals loudly, before snatching it from the lunchbox and running away.

"Kayoooooon!" Joanne cries in despair. "Give me back my fruit roll!" Joanne is almost in a state of despair. Her lunchbox is nowhere to be seen, and Kayoon has just stolen her fruit roll. What is she to do? Look for her lunchbox, or take back her fruit roll? She decides to get her lunchbox back (she could always get more fruit rolls from home). Looking around, she spots Olivia holding the bright yellow box. "Oli!" she says, holding out her hands. "Can I _please_ have my lunchbox back? Please?" Olivia seems to contemplate a moment before she throws the lunchbox in Joanne's direction. Joanne, of course, misses, but quickly grabs her lunchbox handle as she sees Audrey appear behind a tree.

"You're supposed to put the lunchbox on a tree!" she says in a shrill whine. Olivia shrugs, not caring, but then stiffens as Audrey says, "We've got to go save the dying potatoes!"

"Potatoes are already dead!" Olivia yells. She does not believe in magic. "They were never alive in the first place."

"My potatoes are alive," Audrey counters, smiling eerily. "They talk to me, you know. They said you ate their cousins last night! The shame!" Joanne sighs loudly as Audrey and Olivia get into an argument about whether or not potatoes could actually talk. "Again?" Kayoon asks, appearing from nowhere. "Potatoes can't talk, Audrey, you're just hearing things."

"Not if you use magic!" the other girl says, grinning broadly. Kayoon, for some odd reason, also smiles.

"Yes, magic," she says.

"Magic?" Selena asks, popping out from behind a large boulder. "Do owls carrying letters count as magic?"

"WHAT?!" Olivia yells, probably louder than necessary. "Shonk, are you trying to tease us again?"

"Nope," she says, popping the p. "It's right there." Pointing up into the air, the five girls could see a large owl flying low in the sky. They clearly see the envelopes in the owl's clutches. Kayoon nods slowly and replies, "Yes, that's magic right there." Joanne is amazed by the sheer size of the owl. _It's probably bigger than me,_ Joanne thinks, because she is quite short. Shonk wonders at the letters, since owls usually don't carry letters. Kayoon and Audrey are nervous, because they think they know what the flying owls are about, and Olivia is confused and slightly curious at whether or not this could prove that potatoes couldn't (or could) talk.

The owl flies above their heads and drop the letters on them. Joanne shrieks as one of the letters knock her glasses off. Scrambling for her glasses, she sees the rest of the girls pick up letters. She herself sees her name on one, and picks up the letter addressed to her. "Are these people stalkers or something?" Olivia says bluntly as she reads the exact address of her bedroom on the back of the letter. Joanne ignores her and opens the letter, careful not to ruin the seal. Taking out the letter, she reads the green ink.

" _Dear Ms. Lee,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Audrey's reads:

" _Dear Ms. Chyung,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Kayoon sees:

" _Dear Ms. Koh,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Shonk raises her eyebrows as her letter says:

" _Dear Ms. Qiao,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

Olivia cannot believe her eyes when she reads:

" _Dear Ms. Chen,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than July 31st._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress._ "

"This can't be possible," Olivia immediately says after she finishes her letter. "Magic isn't real."

"I dunno..." Joanne a little more hesitant on sweeping the letter away as if it is a lie. "I mean, we've done some pretty strange things in our lifetime. Magic might explain why."

Shonk is silent, though her dimples are deeper as she rereads her letter. "Kayoon?" Joanne asks. "Audrey? Are you two okay?" Said girls are grinning like madwomen. Their smiles are joyous, but it looks out of place on their usual stoic faces. "It has arrived!" Audrey says with a cheshire cat grin. "The magic has come!"

Kayoon reaches up to smack Audrey on the head, but Jenny, Emma, Katherine, and Jiwon choose that moment to appear. Emma scans the yellowish envelopes in their hands before saying quietly, "So you got them too." It wasn't a question.

"Yep." Shonk always speaks in simple sentences. She believes small phrases are enough to convey what she wants to say. "So it's true then," Jenny speaks up. "Magic is real."

"It's impossible," Olivia says. "There's not such thing as magic."

"Well, what about what we did back in sixth grade with Asher, Andrew, and Eric?" Jiwon counters, quickly warming up to the idea.

"And remember that time we made our pencils fly?" Joanne remembers, before staring questioningly at Katherine, Kayoon, and Audrey. "You three don't seem very surprised."

"We're not," Katherine replies. "We've known about magic for our entire lives. It's just... I never really believed it, even when I saw my parents doing it."

"It's not a big deal," Kayoon shrugs. "You're all witches like we thought you'd be," she says, ignoring Jenny's "I'm not a witch!" comment. "This means we'll all go to the same school!" she adds with a smile.

"We won't have to make excuses that we're going to some exclusive rich private school in Scotland," Audrey includes, for once completely serious.

"It's in _Scotland?_ " Jenny gasps in shock. She has never gone anywhere outside of New York, and is not sure she wants to.

Emma interrupts with a short "It doesn't matter." Leaning against the side of a tree, her eyes reflect the sun as she speaks: "We'll just have to confirm it with our parents," she says. "If magic is truly real, then we know why we're so different. If it is not..." her eyes darken at the thought. "They will pay."

The rest of her friends, already used to her pessimistic and sometimes ominous ways, shrug and agree. "But for now..." Audrey cackles, back to her normal self, "it's time to steal some more stuff." Jenny and Audrey both grab Jiwon's water bottle and Joanne's lunchbox. Laughing, they run back towards the parking lot as Jiwon and Joanne both shout,

"Hey!"

The others, however, have a lot more to think about. Olivia can not believe magic could actually be real. Kayoon can not believe she is finally going to Hogwarts. Katherine can not believe they sent the letter with an owl (how about a cat?). Selena can not believe the ink on the letter was green. And Emma can not believe she's finally found her way home.

 _Okay, so this is a fanfiction of my friends and I. We're going to be part of the Harry Potter era (probably a few years younger), but also part of the Percy Jacksons series (around Nico's physical age, I guess). It's a request, and I'm going to do it. Enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 1: The Only Way is Forward

**Chapter 1: The Only Way is Forward**

Emma leads the way as the nine children make their way to the twelth floor, with some huffing and puffing (like Jo and Audrey) and some not breaking a sweat (Shonk and Olivia). Thoughts swirl around the minds of each child as they are about to confront their parents about the mysterious letters. Some, like Kayoon, are excited because this is the conformation they have been waiting for. Others, like Olivia and Emma, are more cautious, since the idea of magic is new, foreign, and not necessarily welcoming. And still others, like Jo and Jenny, are inbetween, since they have nothing against magic but are still unsure of its apparently obvious existence.

They arrive on the third door on the twelth floor, which is Katherine's apartment, and Katherine unlocks the door without a word. Trooping into the Huang's living room, Joanne sees all the parents already assembled there. The room, she notices, seems bigger than usual. _That's impossible_ , she thinks, before remembering that magic might be real, and that this might be the doing of magic. Olivia notices two owls sitting by Katherine's and Audrey's mom. She sees her mother _petting_ the creatures like it's the most normal thing, and she is now majorly confused. She thinks her mom might have gotten a little crazy over the night, and something inside her stirs. She itches to rid her mom of this madness that has seemingly ridden her, but stops herself. Selena notices Emma's dark expression and moves to stand next to her, putting a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. She doesn't shrug it off, so Shonk takes it as a good sign. She smiles at her parents, but it's strained, even to her. Even though Shonk hasn't shown it, she, like some of the other girls, is hesitant to believe in the magical business. She knows the stories that stopped Emma from believing, and caused Olivia to loath the thought of it. She isn't sure magic is something that's good for the friendship, but is willing to listen to what the parents have to say. Selena feels responsible since she is one of the older girls, and tells herself she will decide what is best, along with the others, after the explanation.

Jenny, the hyper person she is, cannot stand the silence and is the one to break it. "Um, hi, Mom!" she says brightly. "Hi, Dad!" Her parents reply cheerfully back, but Jenny still feels nervous because of the unusual tenseness that surrounds some of her friends. Olivia, usually so relaxed, is now as tense as a spring, and Emma seems to shrink right into the shadows. _Like the Boogeyman_ , Jenny thinks to herself, before remembering that her friend is usually much more cheerful.

"What's this all about?" Olivia starts. Everyone can see the unnatural glow in her eyes, and Jiwon leans away from Olivia as she gets herself into a frenzy. "Letters claiming magic? Saying that I'm, _we're_ , witches? Who does this? Do they think this is some kind of joke?"

Emma joins in, she herself angry. "I thought we'd made it clear," she says quietly, her simmering anger just as scary as Olivia's wild one, "that magic _isn't_ real. Weren't you the ones who told me when I was little that Jack Frost didn't create winter, that a shift in seasons did that? Weren't you the ones who told me that the little things I did were just tricks of the light, and that if I lied _one more time_ I'd be punished?! And weren't you the ones who forbade me from ever reading fantasies again, because they _WEREN'T REAL?_ " Joanne sees the parents cringe at the girl's anger, but she understands why her friend is so upset. When the girls were younger, Emma was the prime believer in magic. Whenever they came home from school, Emma would be lugging a huge book on fairies, wizards, and grims. She babbled about Jack Frost during the wintertime, and about the Tooth Fairy whenever one of them lost a tooth. Her parents never seemed to mind, but when she brought home a large book on Greek mythology they seemed to snap. They took the book from her and told her she was forbidden from ever reading those kinds of books again. Emma has never been the same. Although she is still mischevious and daring like she always is, she became sullen. Often times Joanne catches her glaring at nothing, like an invisible phantom that isn't there.

"Emma," Mrs. Li says warningly, just as Mrs. Chen says, "Olivia," in the same tone, but the two girls are on a roll. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO SAID MAGIC WASN'T REAL!" Emma yells as Olivia screams, "YOU TOLD ME MAGIC WAS A MYTH! YOU TOLD ME MYTHS WERE UNREALISTIC, THAT THEY WOULD RUIN MY LIFE! SO HOW COME I HAVE HERE A LETTER TELLING ME THAT I HAVE MAGIC?!"

"Now, girls," Mrs. Koh steps between the two fuming girls and their parents. "Let us explain ourselves before you scold us. I agree, some of us need a talking to," she says, laughing slightly, "but please, hear us out."

None of them want to back down, but Selena gently tugs on Olivia's arm while Katherine pulls Emma away. "You have five minutes," Olivia growls out, Emma still too angry to talk civily.

"Well, to put it simply," Mrs. Koh says, "there is a world of magic that is hidden from the muggle world. We, as in witches and wizards, have been in hiding for many years; you saw what happened with the witch hunts, muggles don't accept us because we're different and strange. The four greatest witches and wizards of the age built a school of magic, to teach youngsters like yourselves how to wield the power you were born and gifted with."

"Magic?" Shonk asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Precisely," Mrs. Koh applauds, as if talking to children (which they technically were). "The witches Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, along with the wizards Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, built the school called Hogwarts, whose acceptence letter you are holding now.

"Now, there are three types of wizards: purebloods, half-bloods, and muggleborns. Purebloods, like Kayoon, Katherine, and Audrey, are people born with two magical parents. Muggleborns, like Joanne, Jenny, and Olivia, are born with no magical parents, or from Squibs. Squibs are non-magical people who are born from magical families. Half-bloods are the largest group and the most complicated. Children like Jiwon are born with one magical parent. Selena is an example of a half-blood born from two half-bloods. And Emma is an example of a half-blood born from a pureblood and muggleborn."

"Discrimination, oh joy," Emma speaks sarcastically, and Joanne pets her softly on the head, partially in comfort and as a warning to be quiet. Mrs. Koh, however, takes the comment in stride. "Yes, Emma," she says sadly. "Unfortunately, certain purebloods in the Wizarding World believe that muggleborns are of dirty blood, and are not worthy to learn magic. A few years before you were born, there was a terrible war. Emma's parents, Selena's parents, Jiwon's mother, Katherine's parents, Audrey's parents, and us," she lists, pointing to her and her husband at the end. "A Dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort rose to power. He believed that muggleborns didn't deserve to learn magic, and sought to purge the magical world of all, who in his opinion, weren't worthy of learning magic. The year you were born, a little boy by the name of Harry Potter stopped him."

"How did a little boy stop a powerful dark wizard?" Joanne asks, genuinely curious.

"Nobody knows," Mrs. Huang speaks up. "There are many variables. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of your new school and a family friend, believes Lily Potter, Harry's mother, died as an act of true love. This love, something Voldemort doesn't and will never understand, protected Harry from the spell of hatred."

"And what exactly _was_ this spell?" Jiwon wonders aloud.

"Avada Kedavra," Audrey says ominously. "The Killing Curse." Everyone in the room feel a shiver travel through them at the two words. It was a phrase of hate, malevolence, and death.

"Olivia," Mr. Chen speaks for the first time, "we apologize for telling you magic wasn't real. We didn't believe it at first, neither your mother nor I have magic, and we didn't want to when Audrey's parents told us about their suspicions. We were scared, and we didn't want you to leave us. We didn't want you to grow up or move to a private school in Scotland because we feared we'd never see you again." Olivia nods, swallowing hard. Many of the children notice that Mr. Chen said he feared he'd never see Olivia again and find it strange. It was as if the adults aren't telling them something, but they soon forget about it because Mrs. Li begins to speak.

"And Emma," Mrs. Li says. "We're truly sorry for what we did. It was an instinct, because we wanted to protect you. We didn't want you to figure out about this world too early, it's dangerous. We ourselves knew of this world, but we were worried about what you would think. We were scared to tell you the dark side, because you saw everything so brightly back then."

"I did, didn't I?" Emma says hollowly. "It's fine, Mom, I get it, really. I just wish you hadn't taken it from me like that." She falls silent, before shyly lifting her head. Joanne wants to coo because her friend rarely shows this side of her, but knows Emma wouldn't appreciate it. "Can I have my book back?" Emma asks sheepishly. Her parents only nod, before diving into a family hug. The rest of the children join them, along with their parents.

"Can we have some fruit rolls?" Kayoon asks out of the blue. The childrens' stomaches all rumble in unison. "Of course, Kayoon," Mrs. Lee laughs.

For then, all is well.

 ** __Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break__**

It has been several days after the letter fiasco. Everything is good for the nine friends, but today is special because they are getting their school supplies today. Emma, after her initial displeasure, is one of the most excited for the trip. She still looks passive, though, next to the excitement of almost everyone else (except the purebloods and Olivia because Olivia is still a little unsure of this whole thing since she's always disapproved of magic). The pureblood parents have the children all hold hands. "It's a bit like ring-around-the-rosy!" Jenny commented as she linked hands with Jo and Jiwon. They can all hear Emma chant the rhyme under her breath; that shows how excited Emma is, for she rarely sings. "Okay, this might feel a little weird," Mr. Chyung calls from the head of the circle. "It might feel uncomfortable, but whatever you do, _do not let go_."

And so, of course, one of them lets go. It's Joanne, for as Audrey's dad calls, "Apparatus!" Joanne can feel the world spinning around her. She feels uncomfortable, like she's being pushed through a long, narrow tube, and she can feel Jenny's and Katherine's hands slipping from her grasp.

"Agh!" she scrambles to grab onto more hands, but misses and feels herself fall downwards. She closes her eyes and prays to the gods (any god she knows of) to save her, and she lands with a loud _thud!_ onto a soft, fluffy carpet. "What the..." Joanne wonders to herself, before remembering she was in a foreign place. "I _knew_ I should have gone to that 'don't ever let go' camp."

"The _what_ camp?" a rather bossy voice asks behind her. Joanne scrambles to her feet and turns to see a girl about her age, or maybe a year older, standing above her. This girl has dark hair (not as dark as Emma's or her own) that is brown in color. She has some freckles splashed across her face and chocolate brown eyes. Her accent was weird too; not British, but maybe French. _She seems alright_ , Joanne thinks, but then realizes she hasn't answered the girl's question yet.

"Oh, sorry," she says, smiling embarrassingly. "My friends and I were just apparating to buy our school supplies, and I let go."

"You're not supposed to let go during apparation," the girl says. "You _do_ know this, don't you?" Joanne begins to like this girl less and less. The more she thinks about it, the more bratty she sounds. "I do," Joanne replies shortly. "Can you just tell me where to go? I'll be out of your hair after that."

"Are you a witch?"

"I suppose so."

"What school will you be attending?"

"...Hogwarts."

"Oh really," she says with eyebrows raised. "You don't sound British."

"I'm Amerian," Joanne answers, losing her patience. "Look, can you just tell me where to go?"

"How will you get there?" The reply brings Joanne up short, because she realizes she really doesn't know how else to get there. The girl laughs a tinkling laugh (that sounds mocking to Joanne) and holds out her hand, which Joanne doesn't shake. "I'm Sophie Loupias, and I'm going to Hogwarts too. Second year."

Joanne smiles tightly, wishing she was anywhere but here. "Come," Sophie says, beckoning Joanne towards a fireplace. "I will take you to where the muggleborns usually start their shopping trip."

"Through a fireplace?" Joanne thinks this girl might be a little crazy in the head, even for a witch, but Sophie just waves her concerns away.

"Yes, floo," she says. "It's the standard transportation for underaged witches and wizards. Here, I'll teach you." Sophie steps into the fireplace and takes some green powder in a bowl that Joanne notices had been sitting by the fireplace. "Now," Sophie instructed, "you hold this powder like this." She demonstrates, and continues. "Then, you must say loud and clear, ' _Diagon Alley!'_ "

"Diagonally?" Joanne is by now extremely confused. _What kind of shopping plaza is called 'Diagonally?'_ she wonders.

"No, it's Diagon-Alley. Two words. Diagon, and Alley. Got it?" the brunette seems impatient now, and Joanne quickly nods to show that she understands. Sophie says clearly, "Diagon Alley!" She drops the powder and is swept away by a cloud of green fire. Joanne breathes deepily to herself. "You can do this, Joanne," she encourages herself quietly. "You've got this." She shakily grabs a handful of the floo powder and steps into the fireplace with wobbily knees. She steadies her breathing and yells, "Diagon Alley!"

Luckily, she shoots through a random fireplace and finds Sophie waiting next to it. "Good, you made it," she says briskly. "Now let's go find the people you came with and then we can be on our way."

It was then that she hears a loud "Joanne!" before she is enveloped in the arms of Jenny, Kayoon, Olivia, and Jiwon.

"Where the hell were you?" Emma demands rudely, but Joanne knows she's just really worried. Emma shows her emotions in strange ways, and they had long learned to read what was what.

"You _know_ you weren't supposed to let go. My dad told you!" Kayoon adds, looking rather shaken.

"I'm sorry, you guys," Joanne says truthfully. "I just couldn't hold on!"

"I guess you really should have gone to the 'don't ever let go' camp," Olivia says jokingly. "I think it really would have come in handy."

"No kidding," Jiwon replies, chuckling slightly. "Come on, everyone's been looking for you."

"Thanks for your help," Joanne tells Sophie. The girl nods before turning away. Once they are far enough away, Jenny asks quietly, "Who was she?"

"Sophie Loupias. I fell into her house," says Jo. "She helped me get here."

"Seems rather jolly, don't cha think?" Emma asks. Joanne can't tell whether or not she's being sarcastic, but apparently Shonk does because she nudges the girl quietly. "Come on, she brought Jo back, Emma. Shouldn't you be greatful?"

"Greatful, yes. Polite, no," Emma replies, causing the rest of the group to laugh and Shonk to roll her eyes fondly.

"You're unbelievable." Shonk shakes her head in mock despair.

"But you love me!" the other girl answers, grinning hugely.

"And that was my biggest mistake." The "mm hmm" from Emma causes the group to laugh again, before they finally find Mr. Chyung and Mrs. Huang (the chaperones). "Thank gods!" Mr. Chyung breathes in relief. "We thought we'd lost you somewhere!"

"You did," Emma smiles, before turning serious. "Someone by the name of Sophie Loupias helped her get back. She seems a year older than us, probably going into second year. She also isn't British. The accent sounded French, so maybe she went to Beaxubaton and got expelled..."

"I don't know about the last part, but you got everything else right!" Joanne tells her in amazement. "Deduction" is the only response she gets.

"In any case," Mrs. Huang says, regaining control. "Now it's time to get your supplies. We've already gone to withdraw money from your vault, so we can get going. We'll go in groups."

Kayoon retreives the supply list from her jean pocket and reads:

"First-year students will require:

Uniform

Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)

One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear

One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)

 _Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times._

Books

 _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ by Miranda Goshawk

 _Break with a Banshee_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Gadding with Ghouls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Holidays with Hags_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Travels with Trolls_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Voyages with Vampires_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Wanderings with Werewolves_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

 _Year with the Yeti_ by Gilderoy Lockhart

Other Equipment

1 Wand 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set of glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set of brass scales

Students may also bring an Owl, a Cat or a Toad.

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS._

"There are a lot of Lockhart books," Kayoon notes after reading the list. "I wonder why."

"The DADA teacher is probably a fan," Jiwon says. "I don't see why. If it were Jimin though..." Audrey smacks Jiwon on the shoulder and screams, "NO!" The rest just shake their heads in despair, and they split into two groups. It's off to shopping now.

"How stereotypical can you get?" Emma wonders as she wanders through Diagon Alley with Kayoon, Jenny, and Jiwon. "Robes, hats, cloaks, wands... they even have flying broomsticks!"

"Too bad we can't get brooms in first year," Jiwon says wistfully. "Quidditch is only for second year and up." They'd all been given a crash course on all things wizard, and Olivia, Jiwon, and Emma had immediately became infatuated with the only magical sport, Quidditch. The rest are excited for flying class, but aren't too keen on joining the Quidditch team, though they all agree Jiwon would be a menace on a broomstick.

"It really is too bad," Emma agrees, before sighing. "Do I _have_ to wear robes? They look so constricting! How does anyone move in those?"

Kayoon sighs in exasperation. "Yes, Emma, you _do_ have to wear robes. It's part of the uniform."

"Can I get pants instead of skirts?" came the reply.

"Probably not." Emma is not happy with that, and scowls the entire time they are buying robes. During that time, they see a group of red-head wizards travel pass the store, with an odd black-haired boy and ginger-haired girl within their midst. "Oh, it's the Weasleys!" Mrs. Huang laughs, before going out of the shop to talk to them. She returns a moment later, leading the entire Weasley clan plus the two children they'd seen earlier. Katherine hears the Weasley matriarch say to one of her kids, "Ginny, let's see if we can get you some robes." The youngest Weasley, a girl with fiery red hair, nods her head and steps up to the stool by Kayoon. Ginny seems to be intimidated by Kayoon, whose beauty and new robes almost shine in the lamplight of the store.

"Don't worry 'bout Kayoon," Jiwon reassures the girl. "She's just naturally pretty. We've all accepted we're going to look like scarecrows next to her."

"Or," Emma drawls, "some of us never cared in the first place. But don't worry," she adds as an afterthought. "We think Kayoon was dropped into a magical potion at birth."

"Hey!" Kayoon does not appreciate the insult on her beauty. "I _was not_ dropped into a magical potion at birth!"

"Hmm," teases Emma, "it might just be the temper. Temper mars beauty, Kayoon; don't let your anger mar your beauty, we need a pretty girl to make us all look bad."

Jenny snorts and turns to look at the girl, who practically shrinks into her second-hand robes. "They're only teasing," she says cheerfully. "Although we might look like a crazy crowd of banshees, we're really not that bad. You shouldn't be intimidated by Kayoon either. Though she's beautiful, she's really not that bright." The Ginny girl laughs quietly, just as a shout of laughter was heard from Emma at Jenny's statement. "BURN! Kayoon, you just got roasted by Jenny! Need some ice?" Kayoon glares at the other girl, but they can tell that she is really amused inside. "Ugh, I should have gone with Joanne. At least then, nobody would be teasing me!" she hotily flips her long hair, before remembering that the seamstress has pins.

"Then everyone would be teasing Joanne," Jiwon points out. "Although," she adds, "that would be pretty funny too."

"You don't sound around here," Ginny speaks for the first time. "Are you from America?"

"Yes, we are," Kayoon tells her. "I'm Kayoon, the girl who likes teasing Jo, our other friend, is Jiwon, the one who seems nice but is actually not is Jenny, and the one who keeps insulting me is Emma."

"Sup," said girl says, smirking slightly. "I try not to be mean in front of new people. Just a small warning, I'm extremely sarcastic and annoying. If I start insulting you on a daily basis, it doesn't mean that I don't like you, but that I count you as my friend. To me, 'friend' means someone I can insult and they won't take it seriously, so... take my insults as a compliment." Ginny looks a little scared of Emma, but then Emma smiles genuinely (one of the only genuine smiles ever seen on her face to someone new). "It's really nice to meet you, Ginny. I need more friends." And there was the sarcasm queen again.

Ginny smiles happily as her five new friends begin an argument about something she doesn't understand. _Probably muggle_ , she thinks, since Kayoon is the only one who seems to truly understand wizard customs. "You're all done," Madam Malkins says at that moment, and Emma is the first to rush off the stool.

"Thank the gods," she says, before realizing who she was talking to. "No offense, ma'am, but I hate robes and think they are very impractical. It's nothing against your shop, just the stuff you sell in your shop." Kayoon groans and grabs Emma's hand. "Emma, just shut up."

"Shut up yourself," Emma says snarkily, before bowing politely to the woman and sprinting out of the shop.

"She's unbelievable," Kayoon says, shaking her head.

"She's not that bad," Ginny says shyly, not sure if her new friends wanted her to contribute to their discussions.

"'Course she isn't bad," Jiwon replies. "She just annoys Kayoon a lot because she thinks she's an easy target. I agree, in all honesty."

"Yah!" Kayoon cries, before starting a long string of Korean insults. Jiwon replies in stride, and the two walk out of the shop in full-Korean-speaking mode.

"I don't know what they're talking about," Jenny confides to Ginny. "I only speak Chinese."

"他们怎么了？" (what's wrong with them) Emma asks, appearing out of the shadows. Ginny is surprised, but Jenny doesn't seem to notice.

"他们又吵架了。" (they're fighting again) Jenny replies, laughing.

"他们很不mature。" (they're not mature at all) says Emma, adding in some English.

"Wow, that Chinglish though." Jenny laughs loudly, almost like a dog Ginny thinks, and though Ginny doesn't understand what's funny she smiles too.

"Oh," Jenny realizes suddenly, before turning to Ginny. "We were just talking about how Kayoon and Jiwon are not mature."

"But then we realized that's kind of a hypocritical statement," Emma smirks. "Since, you know, we're not that mature ourselves."

Ginny laughs loudly at that statement, before adding in her two gallons. "You can never be less mature than my twin brothers. Or my youngest older brother, Ron."

"Really?" Emma feels challenged (since she's _really_ competitive) and vows to be more immature than Ginny's brothers.

"Yeah," Ginny nods. "Fred and George are identical twins, and they love causing mischief. They're always playing pranks at Hogwarts, and they get a lot of detentions. My brother, Ron... he's Harry Potter's best friend."

"Whose Harry Potter?" Jenny asks.

"I think he's famous," Emma adds unnecessarily.

"You don't know Harry Potter?!" Ginny turns to the two with disbelif painted over her face. "He's the Boy-Who-Lived!"

"Oh... I remember him now," Emma nods, remembering.

"Who?" Jenny still doesn't understand.

"The guy who defeated Moldywarts, though I think he's called You-Know-Who here. Personally, I like He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It's ridiculous, it's so dam long." Ginny gaps open-mouthed at the sheer bravery (or stupidity) of Emma, but before she can call her out on it Jenny raises her hand and shouts, "Jo! Blob! Kat! Shonk! Oli! Over here!"

Ginny sees five other girls, laiden with materials (new) stumbling towards them. "They're our other friends," Emma tells Ginny airly. "We're a rather large group."

"I can tell," Ginny says; she's never seen a group as large has her own family. "I think there are more of you than there are of us."

"Oh yes!" Emma smiles as Jenny helps Jo and Shonk round up Jiwon and Kayoon. "Can I meet Harry Potter? I want to see if he's really worth everything they say he is."

"He's traveling with our family," Ginny answers with a light blush.

"Someone's got a crush!" Emma calls in a sing-song voice, before running up to jump on Joanne. "Let's go! We're going to meet Harry Potter!"

"Harry Potter?" Joanne asks, curious. "He's the person who stopped You-Know-Who as a baby, right?"

"I am," came a voice, and Joanne turns quickly (with Emma still hanging off of her back) to see a tall, skinny black-haired boy. His eyes are emerald green behind circled glasses, and she can faintly see a lightning scar on his forehead, though it's hidden rather well by his bangs.

"Wow," Emma whistles. "Nice scar."

"It's really something," Olivia agrees. "I have one on my knee, but it doesn't look as cool."

"More like a scab," Katherine nods seriously. "The most magical symbol of all."

"Very magical," Shonk says. Harry looks at the nine weirdly, but then smiles. "You're going to Hogwarts this year then?" he asks conversationally.

"Yes, we are," Audrey cackles; Harry leans away from the girl. "I'm going to be in Slytherin!"

"Ambition is a good trait to have," Katherine says. "So is cunningness. They're more useful in life than courage, at least."

Harry's expression darkens, and Joanne notices. "Slytherin is the house of the evil."

"That's just a superstition," Kayoon interjects. "Everyone knows Slytherin gets a bad rep from those snotty purebloods."

"Yeah," says Olivia. "Those purebloods are nothing. It's stupid how they think they're so great."

"They're not intelligent," Shonk includes. "Probably not magical at all. I don't see what's to brag about."

"Even if our friends are in Slytherin, we won't mind," Joanne smiles brightly.

"Since we've been friends for so long, nothing will break our friendship," Jenny adds.

"And especially not those stupid house rivalries," Jiwon grins, before beginning to ramble. "I wonder what house Jimin would be in? Maybe Hufflepuff..."

Emma groans and whacks Jiwon over the head with her package to get her to shut up. "Anyway," she says casually, smoothing the crinkles of her package like she didn't just hit her friend with it. "I think Slytherin needs some new blood. It's the house of greatness, so I think it just requires some people who are actually destined for greatness. I can vouch for it, as can Audrey. Ready to change history, my friend?" Emma asks, turning towards Audrey. The two cackle maniacally, as everyone leans away from them.

"But don't worry," Emma adds, seeing Harry's reaction. "We're not going to be evil or anything. We _do_ have a sense of priority, even if it isn't much." Shonk snorts and shakes her head. "You have to ignore the younger ones," she says soberly to a bewildered Harry. "I'm afraid they're not exactly right in the head."

"Maybe they were dropped into a magical potion at birth," Kayoon adds mischeviously.

"If that _were_ the case, I was dumped into Felix Felicis," Emma says, sniffing arrogantly. "Unlike you..."

"Ugh!" Kayoon cries. "Let's just go get our books."

"Right away, madam," Audrey bows low (in a mocking way). "Would you like us to draw you a carriage, or would her highness like to walk herself?"

"Draw me my carriage," Kayoon says in a stuffy voice. "And don't forget the tea!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Jiwon says, before running towards the bookshop, Emma, Audrey, Jenny, Olivia, and Katherine following close behind. Shonk and Kayoon follow at a more sedate pace. Joanne turns to follow, but turns to Harry and asks, "You coming? I think Ginny, your ginger friend, and the other Weasleys are already in the bookstore."

Harry hesitates a moment before replying: "Sure."

 _Hehe I'm done! It might seem like I'm updating this a lot more than my others (which is true), but that's because I have more inspiration for this one. Next chapter: Gilderoy Lockhart!_


	3. Chapter 2: Changing Tides

**Chapter 2: Changing Tides**

 **(warning-mild language ahead)**

Harry follows the nine girls into Flourish and Blotts. On his way, he mulls over the words of the first years. _I suppose... those two wouldn't make bad Slytherins,_ Harry consents, then shivers. _I almost feel bad for Slytherin, they would cause quite a_ _riot._ Then he grins as he thinks, _But hey! All the better for me!_ The famous boy walks into the book store and immediately spots the Weasley clan, Hermione, and the nine new students. After grabbing a copy of _The Standard Book of Spells Book 2_ , he squeezes through the throng of excited witches and goes to stand by Hermione and the girl who asked him whether or not he was coming (Jo). Just in time as well, because he then spots a very good-looking man in forget-me-not blue robes step out from a side door. He smiles dashingly at some younger witches, and they all swoon. Harry gags before turning to Hermione.

"What's going on?" he whispers.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, he's-" Hermione's eager reply is interupted by one of the new girls, who says, "The guy whose apparently written our entire booklist, his name is Gilderoy Lockhart, is signing books today. Mrs. Weasley seems really excited, but Katherine's mom doesn't seem to like the Lockhart dude very much." _She's quite pretty_ , Harry thinks absentemindly before smiling slightly at Ginny. The girl was still shy around him, proven as she darts behind Emma. Emma only smirks at the red-head and turns to look back at the Golden Trio. "He doesn't seem very genuine, does he?" she says, as if she's discussing the weather. "It's almost as if he's a fake. Like, if you introduced a banshee right now, he wouldn't actually be able to subdue it like he says he did in the book."

"Well, obviously," Olivia says, rolling her eyes. "He cares too much about his smile. 'O-M-G, my robes!'" she imitates in a high-pitched voice, causing Emma and Audrey to chuckle slightly.

"The timeline doesn't add up," Joanne adds, scanning through a random copy of _Gadding with Ghouls._ "Plus, some of these things are impossible! I mean, I'm a muggleborn and I don't know too much about the wizarding world, but I don't think it's possible to return a werewolf to his human form during a full moon. If it were, everybody would be using it."

"Mom doesn't like him," Katherine speaks up. "She says he really hasn't done all of these things. Probably memory-charmed the real hero and stole all the credit." Jiwon snorted, but then let out a loud, "hey, dude, what the hell?!" as she's shoved aside by a short, irritable man with a smoking camera. "Out of the way!" he snarls at Jenny, Jiwon, Joanne, and Ron. "This is for the Daily Prophect!"

"Big deal," Ron mutters, but his retort is overshadowed by Emma's indignant reply.

"Excuse me?!" Emma snarls, shoving Mrs. Weasley and Percy Weasley to the side. "Did you just tell my friends to _shove off_?" Her voice echoes through the bookstore, and the entire crowd turns to face her. Shonk pulls on Emma's hoodie sleeve while Jenny quickly whispers that it's fine, they're okay, but Emma doesn't notice. Usually she doesn't like this type of attention, but Emma is _very_ protective of her few friends. Joanne, who doesn't like violence, tries one last attempt to stop Emma from doing something rash, but the furious girl pays no heed. Joanne sighs and signals for everyone to stand back. Though a peace-lover, Joanne knows when she's lost: an angry Emma is an unstoppable Emma, and there's nothing she or anyone else can do about it. However, a part of her, the meaner side, wants to see this man get beat up by her friends, since her ribs still hurt from that guy's _super bony elbow._

Emma advances on the now cowering man and shouts, "I'm sorry, Mr. Daily Prophet Dude, that we're ruining your perfectly good chance to rip some more people off on that bias newspaper of yours, but some of us are actually here to _buy books,_ you know, since this is a bookstore. Where there are books, there will be a bookstore, and where there is a bookstore, there will be students trying to buy their books for school! If you don't like that, I suggest you get your reporting ass out of here and ask for a private interview with Gileroy Lockhart where you can take all the fucking photos you want! But some people actually want to get some stuff done and do what they should be doing, and you're getting in the way!

 _ **(end of mild language)**_

"Did you know you just harassed a minor? In the muggle world, that's a crime! You can be tried and arrested for doing what you just did to my friend! Do you see that?" she rants, pointing to a red scratch on Jenny's forearm that's visible since she's wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt, " _You_ did that! That scratch is from your frickin camera which is, by the way, polluting the air. Don't you know global warming is real? Can't you tell with that bibity bobity boo of yours? Or is magic completely and utterly uselss? I came to this world, to Hogwarts, to learn about magic because I thought it would improve my life. Currently, the magical world doesn't seem any better than the muggle world.

"So get your game on, people! Some of you think you're so much better than the muggles because you have magic. So why don't you show your superiority instead of lounging around talking about it? You wizards are all talk and no action; how the hell do you get anything done around here? Get up and do something about it! Make a legit premise instead of sprouting off stupid stuff that can't even be proved! How can you prove that you're better if it's muggleborns that have been snagging the top five spots at Hogwarts every year? How can you prove that purebloods are the best if it's muggleborns who are taking all the best positions in the ministry, and getting all of the best jobs?

"Better yet, why don't you stop thinking you're so much better than everyone else because of something or the other and actually use your brains for once? Everyone is equal to an extent; everyone is better at something than others, and they are worse at something than others. Nobody is best at everything. There will be more talented and less talented people, but that doesn't make them inferior! Stop thinking you can push people around because you're the cameraman for the Daily Prophet, dude. If you want to go there, lemme tell you something: your job is the least important. All you do is take pictures, which doesn't include much talent. Even my friend Jiwon, who doesn't have very good hand-eye coordination, can take a picture better than any picture from that camera of yours! It's the reporters who actually make stuff happen. They're the ones who're actually doing the reporting. Did you know you can have a newspaper without pictures? You definitely can't have a newspaper without words, that's for sure. So get off your high-horse, man! Treat people with respect! You're reporting for them, after all, they're the ones who are paying for your life."

There's a pause where Emma takes in a deep breath, then she turns to her friends and smiles innocently; "I'm done," is all she says, before she turns to the frozen cameraman with a raised eyebrow. "You're the one who pushed us all out of the way. Now that we're out of the way, why don't you go back to doing your job?" That got everyone moving again, and Gilderoy, after a pause, continues to smile for the camera. "Merlin," Ron whistles. "That was intense.

"Nobody insults my friends and gets away with it," Emma sneers, flashing another glare towards the cringing cameraman. " _Nobody._ "

Lockhart hears this comment and turns to look at the group. His eyes fall upon one; more specifically, one lightning-scared individual. "It can't be..." he mutters slowly, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh no he is not-" Olivia starts to say, before she's cut off by Lockhart's elated shout of "Harry Potter!" "Now he's done it," she continues grumpily as Harry is dragged to the front. "'It's can't be Harry Potter!' Look, everything about him screams fame. Does he really _care_ about anything other than fame? There's _no_ way he saved those people from the banshee if all he does is drag famous people to shield him."

"At least give him a chance!" Hermione protests against the hateful comments. "I mean, look at all the stuff he's done in the books-"

"Books lie, Mrs...?" Katherine trails off, not knowing the name of Gryffindor's bookworm.

"Granger. Call me Hermione."

"Hermione, history is written by the victor. That means that things written in the textbooks aren't always true."

"Besides," Audrey adds, smiling sarcastically. "There's such thing as fiction, you know." Hermione blushes and tries to protest, but Audrey continues without pause. "These are like the fairy tales. Cinderella finds her slipper. The Beauty gets her beast. You know how all the stories are wrong. I mean, come on! How did Cinderella's shoes not break when she was running away? And why didn't the Evil Stepmother destroy the key when she locked her step-daughter in the room? Better yet, why didn't she _EAT IT?!_ " Hermione sends Audrey a strange glance, but Audrey doesn't care as she "sobs" over the stupidity of the evil stepmothers. Shonk gently herds Audrey and the now-crying Jiwon (for random reasons) away, apologizing to the bemused Hermione on her way.

"Yeah, they'll meet up with us later," Joanne says, staring after her friends.

" _Tritone_ ," Emma says randomly as the crowd seems to get louder for a moment, though they wouldn't know why because they aren't paying attention. "Play it in tune first, and then the second time sharp, and then the third time flat." **_(credits to TwoSet Violin for this quote)_**

"What. Emma, is that even the right definition?" Joanne asks, snickering as Emma shrugs.

"Um, guys," Jenny says as she pushes over to them with a complete stack of Lockhart's work, Harry coming behind her with a similar stack and a disgruntled expression. "I hate to break it to you, but..."

"Wait, lemme guess," Emma starts sarcastically.

"Lockhart's been made Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year," Olivia finishes, rolling her eyes at the sheer stupidity of anyone who would hire that man.

"How did you guess?" Jenny asks with shocked eyes.

"Wait, that man is going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts this year?" Kayoon screeches (not loudly, thankfully), not able believe her ears.

"And to think I was actually looking forward to learning something in that class," Emma sighs. "Pity. I guess it's another free period for me."

"No, it's not!" Joanne scolds. "You're going to pay attention in class and get that O grade!"

"Jo," Emma groans. "When have I ever _not_ gotten the highest grade possible?" Joanne has to admit that Emma has a point. Though the girl rarely pays attention in class unless it's something she's particularly interested in, she still scores top marks, a phenomenon that still puzzles Jenny, Joanne, and Katherine to this day.

"But still!"

"In honesty, I feel like we shouldn't be surprised," Katherine mutters as they begin heading out of the store. "We've always been pretty unlucky. It's only logical that _something_ happens this year. I guess it's Lockhart."

"Can't be," Emma disagrees, grabbing herself a stack of Lockhart's books. She wrinkles her nose in disgust and shoves the books into the deepest recesses of her bags before continuing. "I just have this gut feeling that it's not Lockhart." Katherine waves Emma's concerns aways, but can't help but agree, deep down. She, too, can feel the gut feeling, telling her that the misfortune happening this year was going to be much worse than Lockhart.

"Welp, time for wands," Olivia says, looking over the list. "It's time for the magic to happen."

"Magic!" Jiwon screams as she bounces over to them, looking completely fine after her episode (which still nobody knew what triggered it).

"It is wand time?" Shonk asks, her dimples on full display.

"Wand time!" Audrey cheers, before grabbing hold of Joanne, Jiwon, and Jenny and dragging them towards the exit. She is heading for the right before Olivia stops her.

"Uh, Audrey, it's the other way," Olivia says. Audrey turns and is about to drag the three out of the store to the left when she is blocked by an older boy in Slytherin robes. He's sneering, and Audrey can't help but think he looks like the pet hamster she bought from Walmart a few years ago. However, the boy isn't looking at her or her friends; he's looking over them at the Golden Trio.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" the boy says in an arrogant drawling voice. "Famous Harry Potter, can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny speaks fiercely, and Olivia silently applauds her for her bravery.

"Oh look, Potter! You've got yourself a girlfriend!" the boy says as if it's a bad thing. Personally, Joanne can't see why. Isn't it a good thing to have a significant other? Besides, Joanne does have to admit that Harry and Ginny look cute together.

"Jealous?" Emma asks, raising a challenging eyebrow. Although she may tease her friends, Emma makes sure never to overstep the line between teasing friendship and mocking bullying; she never liked the bullies who bullied Jo for her glasses, or Jenny for her happy attitude anyway, and this boy is just being an arrogant jerk.

The boy that looks like Audrey's hamster turns to look at her. He scowles and asks, "No. Why would I be?"

"I dunno," Emma drawls, immaculately imitating the boy's arrogant way of speaking. "Maybe it's because Potter got himself a girl while you didn't. What's your name, anyway?"

The boy draws himself to his full height (which isn't quite impressive, he's only about as tall as Jo) and says, "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy. Who're you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Audrey laughs, her grin making her look witch-like in the lamplight of the store.

"Well, Dragon," Emma says, sympathetically patting Malfoy on the shoulder. "Audrey and I am aiming for Slytherin house. We'll change Slytherin for the better, don't worry."

"Maybe then they'll finally learn the proper etiquettes of a pauper!" Audrey does a weird motion that resembles the motions of the plastic cats at Chinese meow meow shops, but adequately makes her point.

"Quite, my friend," Emma replies, smiling slyly. Shonk, who had appeared moments after Audrey and Jiwon, begins to edge away from her two friends. Although Emma isn't much of a prankster, she does have a prankster side. It has only been unleashed twice, but nobody from their friend group wants to relive it again. Paired with Audrey, who is _always_ up to no good, those two make an unstoppable force (and a crazy, menacing force at that).

"Why are you defending Potter anyway?" Malfoy asks, smirking. "A Slytherin would never acquaint him or herself with a Gryffindor, much less a Potter."

"What is it you're trying to say?" Katherine asks coolly, her face cold. She's mad, and everyone can tell; Emma, however, doesn't value her life and has other plans. She gently pats Katherine's head before stepping forward. "Is that so?" she asks, face blank. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to change that when I become Queen Bee."

Malfoy's face morphs into one of confusion, and Emma looks deadpan. "Seriously, have you never heard that song? Geez, you wizards live under boulders."

It is then that Hermione and Ron choose to fight their way over, each carrying free Lockhart books. "Oh, it's you," Ron says, looking at Malfoy like he was gum under a table. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," Malfoy retorts without missing a beat. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all of those." Jenny winces at the harsh words and thinks, _that's almost as bad as something Emma or Audrey can come up with. Malfoy sure knows how to hit where it hurts._

Ron turns red, but doesn't back down. He glances at Emma and grins, before turning to Malfoy. "I bet these girls ripped you another one. Feel embarrassed yet? Ready to crawl to your daddy?" he taunts. Olivia, Harry, and Jiwon laugh openly as Kayoon whispers loudly, "Oh, burn!"

Malfoy looks upset and opens his mouth to retort, but Audrey smirks and says, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Daddy dearest might be watching!" in a sing-song voice. To the nine friends, Golden Trio, and Weasleys, who were just appearing from the crowd, the eleven year old girl sounds like an old witch tricking children to eat the candy from her roof.

"Ron!" Mr. Weasley calls, heading over with two twins. _Fred and George_ , Jenny thinks, remembering Ginny mention her two identical twin brothers. "You thirteen! What are you doing? It's too crowded, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well-Arthur Weasley." A man Joanne has never seen before stepped behind Malfoy and set a firm hand on his shoulder. Kayoon, standing close to the back, notices that the man resembles Malfoy. Or, more accurately, Malfoy Jr. resembles Malfoy Sr. Her thought was confirmed by Mr. Weasley's cold "Lucius."

Katherine thinks this man looks like a weirdo with his long hair and snake-head cane. "He looks like a pureblood hippie," she whispers to Jiwon, which sends her laughing.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," Malfoy Sr. says. "I hope they're paying you overtime?" He draws several books from Ginny's cauldron and inspects them. "Obviously not. Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy," Mr. Weasley says with ice in his tone.

"Hold up," Jenny says, waving her hands in front of the two men. "Hold up." The scene is almost funny, with Lucius Malfoy in his robes of silk and Arthur Weasley with his tattered robes looking bewildered at an eleven year old girl clad in jeans and a t-shirt. "Okay," Jenny says, tapping her head. "Lucius Malfoy... weren't you that Hades Eater? No, Death Eater, I think they were called. I think I remember Katherine's mom mentioning you were one of them." Malfoy Sr.'s mouth drops open at what he believes is a breach to his respect. Arthur Weasley slowly grins; how ironic that the words of a muggleborn first year could knock Lucius Malfoy right off of his pedestal?

Around them, people's lives still go on, but in that circle of men, women, and kids, it is still. The eight others who know Jenny are shocked by her words, yet not surprised in the least that they came out as insulting. Jenny Mar has a habit of turning innocent comments into insults. It is a specific talent that some of them (ie: Emma, Audrey, Katherine, and Kayoon) wish they possessed, but are greatful that Jenny possesses nevertheless. The Golden Trio plus Weasley children are gapping at the short eleven year old. They can not believe the words they just heard. Harry doesn't know whether to laugh or stare. Hermione doesn't know whether to feel alarmed at her bold words or respectful that she said them. Ron just wants to laugh but doesn't feel like it's appropriate at that time (Ron does have tact). Percy is horrified that the girl would say that to someone of higher status, while Fred and George can't stop the huge grins from appearing on their faces.

"I think you should leave, sir," Olivia says candidly. "Before you get embarrassed any further."

Mr. Malfoy takes the hint, but decides to take one last jab at Arthur Weasley. "The company you keep, Weasley... and I thought your family could sink no lower-"

There's a loud thud as Ginny's cauldron flies through the air. Mr. Weasley launches himself at Mr. Malfoy, and they both topple into a heavy bookshelf. Heavy books rain down on all of them, but nobody seems to care. Mr.s Weasley and Malfoy are too busy trying to pummel eachother. Mrs. Weasley, Mrs. Huang, and Mr. Chyung, who appear at that time, try to break up the fight. Mrs. Weasley shrieks, "Arthur, no!" as Mrs. Huang and Mr. Chyung try to separate the two men. The Weasleys, Golden Trio, and several of the nine cheer on Mr. Weasley. "Get him, Dad!" Fred and George call as Jenny and Katherine yell, "Punch him in the guts!" Joanne whispers, "Left hook, right punch to the gut. Yes, there!" until Jiwon nudges her in the side. Emma, Audrey, Selena, and Kayoon are just enjoying the show. Olivia, however, sees Malfoy Jr. creeping up on Harry and Ron. She sneaks behind and jumps onto Malfoy's back, grabbing a large book as she goes. Once secure, she whacks the Malfoy heir over the head. "Go, Oli!" Emma cheers as she sees Malfoy Jr. crumple to the ground. Harry and Ron turn around, startled, before grinning widely at the sight of Malfoy knocked-out cold.

The Lockhart fans are now being dragged into the mess; they all back up from the fighting, causing more bookshelves to be knocked over. The assistant of Flourish and Blotts cries, "Gentleman, please!" Louder than all of that, though, is "Break it up there, gents, break it up-"

"That is one large man," Jiwon whistles, impressed by the sheer size of Hagrid.

"That's Hagrid," Harry tells her. "He's the keeper of keys at Hogwarts."

Jiwon smiles. "I think I'm going to enjoy going to Hogwarts."

"Count on it," Harry grins.

 _Should I end here? I feel like this is a very good ending, with a moment between Jiwon and Harry. But... I feel like I'll be disappointing you guys because my last chapter was so long. So... onward with the story!_

They turn back to see Hagrid wading through the books. He pulls Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley from the wreckage, and everyone sees the damage. Mr. Weasley nurses a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had been hit in the eye by an Encyclopedia of Toadstools. Now sporting a rather nasty black eye, he thrusts Ginny's books which he had still been holding in her direction. "Here, girl-take your books-it's the best your father can give you-" Throwing the wrinkled textbook and a rather new-looking black book into her cauldron, he says, "Come, Draco" and begins making his way from the store. Jo is the only one to notice the change, but forgets about it as Shonk catches Mr. Malfoy's attention.

"Mr. Malfoy, sir," Shonk speaks up. "Your son is out cold." To prove her point, she points at the form of Draco on the ground. "He's probably going to be out for a while."

Malfoy Sr. looks furious, and his voice shakes as he calls, "Dobby!" A skinny little _thing_ wearing some sort of pillowcase pops into existence. "Take Draco to his home, and make sure he wakes," Malfoy Sr. orders. Dobby shivers and quickly nods. He spares a glance at Harry Potter before turning and disappearing on the spot. Harry looks surprised to see the elf, and stares questioningly after Mr. Malfoy as he sweeps out of the store.

"Yeh should've ignored him, Arthur," Hagrid tells the man as he dusts him off. "Rotten ter the core, the whole family, everyone knows that-no Malfoy's worth listenin' ter-bad blood, that's what is is-come on now-let's get outta here."

It's a rather subdued group that walks out of Flourish and Blotts. Mrs. Weasley is furious and keeps muttering to herself while Mr. Weasley defends himself with Fred and George's help. Mrs. Huang and Mr. Chyung don't speak a word; they only comfortingly assure the Grangers, who are frightened by what they saw. The kids are in a mixed state. They are both pumped with adrenaline and worn to the core.

"Well, I guess it's time to head back," Ron says to them. "Anything else you have to buy?"

The group is silent before Jiwon suddenly lights up. "We didn't get our wands yet!" Everyone perks up at that; the nine are excited to finally receive their wands, and the others are excited to watch. "Receiving your wand is one of the most wonderful experiences you'll ever have in the Wizarding World," Hermione babbles as the group changes course and heads for Ollivanders. "It's amazing, I can't even begin to describe it-"

"We'll just have to see for ourselves, eh?" Emma smiles tiredly before entering the store. The others follow, and there is a mixed reaction to the store. Katherine, Audrey, and Kayoon are not surprised by the conditions of the store, nor are they surprised by the old feeling of magic that buzzes through the shop since their parents had taken them to this very shop once. Olivia and Jiwon are slightly miffed by the dust over everything in the shop, while Jenny sneezes because she's allergic. Shonk is indifferent, since she doesn't judge a book by it's dusty cover. Jo is amazed at the huge stacks of boxes the line the walls; she guesses that they are wands, and she wonders how one wizard could get so many boxes together, even with magic. Emma is awed by the sheer force of the magic that buzzes around the shop. She can feel the magic in her soles, and she can feel the magic against her skin. _This is amazing_ , she thinks, but is startled when she hears the movement of a sliding ladder.

An old man appears above them, and many are surprised by how much he resembles the muggle genius, Einstein. The man, who introduces himself as Ollivander, gives a short introduction into wandlore before beginning the wand assignments.

Joanne received a wand of cedar wood and phoenix feather core, 11 inches and supple, and was chosen by the screeching of owls and sparks of yellow and obsidion.

Jenny received a wand of alder wood and unicorn hair core, 10 1/2 inches and rather wippy, and was chosen by the smell of wheat and sparks of yellow and obsidion.

Jiwon received a wand of dogwood wood and unicorn hair core, 11 1/2 inches and supple, and was chosen by the scent of wine grapes and sparks of yellow and black.

Selena received a wand of apple wood and phoenix feather core, 12 inches and flexible, and was chosen by the sound of clashing metal and sparks of red and gold.

Olivia received a wand of blackthorn wood and dragon heartstring core, 12 inches and rigid, and was chosen by the sound of singing lyres and sparks of red and gold.

Katherine received a wand of pine wood and dragon hearstring core, 13 inches and rigid, and was chosen by a flash of red light and sparks of blue and bronze.

The last three to receive wands aquired rather different cores:

Kayoon received a wand of laurel wood and white river monster spine core, 12 1/2 inches and wippy, and was chosen by a flash of pink and sparks of blue and bronze.

Audrey received a wand of rowan wood and wampus cat hair core, 12 inches and flexible, and was chosen by a flash of white light and sparks of green and silver.

Emma, the last to receive her wand, received a wand of ebony wood and threstal hair core, 13 inches and unyielding flexibility, and was chosen by the screeching of a screech owl and sparks of green and silver.

As Hermione had promised, the feeling of receiving their first wands are amazing. They all feel as if some part of their soul, which they didn't even know was missing, had been returned to them. The nine walk out of the store (after paying) with awed expression on their faces. Each hold their wands delicately by their side; Mrs. Huang had offered to put them in a bag, but nobody wanted to part with their wands.

"Well, it's time to head back," Mr. Chyung says, casting a tempus charm. "It's rather late, and the Weasleys have to return to their homes."

"Oh, Mummy, can't they visit us?" Ginny begs, waving her yew wood and unicorn hair wand as she speaks. "Ron's got Harry and Hermione, and I haven't got any other friends. Can't they come over?"

"Of course, Ginny dear," Mrs. Weasleys replies, smiling kindly at the people she considers as part of her family now. "Your house is connect to the floo?" she asks Mrs. Huang.

"It is, Molly," she says, smiling. "We'll just send them through. I must warn you though, once some of these kids learn to use the floo, they'll floo over every day. And once they try your cooking, they'll have even more reason to come over." She looks pointedly at several girls (Emma, Jiwon, Joanne, Jenny, and Olivia).

"Oh, it's alright," the other mother answers with a kind smile. "They're always welcome."

"Well, then you must come over to ours," Mrs. Huang laughs. "We might not be able to play Quidditch, but the girls have come up with their own games to amuse themselves."

"Yeah!" Audrey agrees.

"We'll teach you the fine art of stealing Jo's lunchbox and Jiwon's water bottle," Emma adds mischievously. Every American other than Joanne and Jiwon laugh loudly; said two reply with a loud conjoined "hey!"

"It's really fun," Jenny assures the Golden Trio, who look uncertain. "Besides, it's in a muggle setting, so it's a change."

"So then Hermione can finally beat Ron at a sport!" Harry says. Hermione smiles in anticipation while Ron groans.

"Well, we'll see you back at the base!" Shonk says, waving goodbye to the Britains. They apparate away, leaving the Weasleys, Grangers and Potter in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

 ** __Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break_Line Break__**

Back at the Burrow some time later, Harry gets ready for bed. "Those Americans," Ron mumbles as he falls asleep. "They're really something else, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Harry shrugs as he removes his glasses. "But I think they'll change Hogwarts. For the better."

 _I'm done! Second update hope you liked it. I probably won't end up doing a scene of the British wizards coming over to the American Nine (i'm just going to call them that from now on when I'm referring to them btw) for this particular year, but we'll see. I'll mention it, don't worry. Demigod stuff will happen next year._


	4. Chapter 3: Off We Go (to Hogwarts)

**Chapter 3: Off We Go (to Hogwarts)**

The rest of the summer passes by without a hitch. The nine, once Mrs. Koh teaches them how to floo, constantly floos over to the Weasley's, where they play with Ginny. They have become a regular at the Weasley home, and it is not surprising to see Joanne reading a book at the breakfast table, or Emma and Audrey running around with the Weasley twins. Mrs. Weasley considers them part of her big family now, and always insists that they stay for dinner.

During the occasions where the Weasleys come over to America, there are lots of shouts of laughter and fun. When they first come, Jenny, Katherine, Emma, Audrey, and Shonk are quick to teach the younger kids the "Steal Jiwon's Water Bottle and Jo's Lunchbox" game. Fred and George, along with their sister, Ginny, quickly catch on to the game; Jo and Jiwon now rue the day they come over, because it means more chasing after their stuff. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are more hesitant to join in the childish fun, but Harry is soon playing along with the others since he's never really had a childhood with the Dursleys. Seeing the American Nine playing like children awakes the inner child in him, and Harry can't help but want to play along. Hermione and Ron, after seeing their friend so willingly join, end up joining too, though only on certain occasions.

Emma, Audrey, and Joanne also teach the wizards how to play the piano, violin, and flute. Audrey ends up teaching Emma how to play, since she's been wanting to play the violin for so long. Katherine, who also plays cello, sets about trying to teach Percy Weasley how to play, but soon gives up after he refuses to listen to her when she corrects his bow hold. Harry is particularly talented at the violin, something none of them expects, but he is still outdone by Emma, whose determination to learn and be the best outlives his natural talent (though Emma is particularly gifted when it comes to instruments). Jo, who also tries the violin, is not very good, but makes up for it when she plays Canon in D on the cello. Jenny, who plays piano, watches on while laughing at her friends. She is not very serious about piano, so allows the other pianists to teach the wizards.

Said people, especially Mr. Weasley, are absolutely fasinated by the instruments. They marvel at the clear tune of the flute and the crispier sound of the violin. They are surprised by the vibrations of the strings of the cello, while also amazed at the technology within the piano. "How is this possible?" he asks. Emma only grins and replies, "Magic."

The Americans also teach the wizards a game they had made called "DIY Cricket." The game consists of a water bottle, several backpacks, and a tennis ball, and was similar to baseball in the regards that one has to hit the ball with a bat and must run from base to base to score. The difference, however, is that there is only two bases: home and first, which are made up of the backpacks. The bat is a tin water bottle (usually Jiwon's), and the ball is the tennis ball. The game is great fun, and Harry is particularly good on the field since he plays Seeker for the Gryffindor team. Olivia quickly starts discussions on Quidditch with Harry, and she now wonders whether or not she can pull off a Harry Potter and land herself on the Quidditch team in first year. They are often seen together, in heated discussions on tactics.

Soon, it's time for all of them to head to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters to catch the Hogwarts Express. On September 1st, Shonk is the first to wake. She, like everyone else, is excited for magic, but acts the most mature about it. She gently shakes her friends awake, and they spend the rest of the morning goofing off before it's time to apparate there. This time, they make sure Joanne doesn't let go (Audrey goes the extra mile and ties Joanne's hand to hers) and they apparate to the station after the goodbyes.

In England, it was almost 10:30. Several of the younger ones are momentarily disoriented, but they quickly catch themselves and they are on their way. Although the nine had originally promised to wait for the Weasleys, the orange-haired family are nowhere to be found. The children and few adult chaperones hang around the entrance, waiting, but grow worried as the clock strikes 10:45. "They're still not here," Olivia sighs impatiently as she watches the clock tick.

Soon it's 10:50, and the parents cannot wait any longer. "I'm sure they'll come along soon," Mr. Koh says hurriedly as he ushers them onto the platform. "But right now we need to worry about getting you nine onto the train. We cannot afford you to be late." They sprint through the barrier onto the Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, and the parents allow them a few seconds to gap at the train and station (the brilliant red steam-engine, surrounded by steam and students and cries of goodbyes) before they are bustled onto the train. "Be good!" Mrs. Koh calls to them all as the train begins to move.

"And don't forget to write!" Mrs. Huang smiles, waving frantically. The children yell shouts of assertions as they wave goodbye to their parents. Once the train passes the bend and they can no longer see their parents, the nine friends settle down in an empty compartment near the middle of the train. "Well, this is it," Jenny says in an unusually optimistic tone. "We're off to Hogwarts." The nine children nod, but don't speak.

The silence doesn't last, however, because they soon begin to fidget. What they haven't told the Weasleys is that all nine of them have ADHD. Although some have more severe ADHD than others, they all have it, and it is very hard for them to sit still. Jiwon is the first, followed closely by Emma, Audrey, Jenny, and Katherine. Shonk is the last, but she is still uncomfortable and is not looking forward to the seven or so hours of train ride. "So..." Olivia says, holding up a pack of cards. "Who wants to play Exploding Snap?" The twins introduced them to the game over the summer. Choruses of agreement ring out, and they begin an intense game of Exploding Snap.

After an intense round between Olivia and Emma (who are both extremely competitive) that ends in a draw, the nine sit back against their seats for a breath of cool air. They are just about ready to start another game when the compartment door opens. Jenny looks up to see Ginny standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Hi, Ginny!" Jo greets her, the others greeting her in similar ways. Jiwon, Jenny, Olivia, Audrey, and Kayoon voice their hellos, while Shonk, Katherine, and Emma wave. "Oh, hello!" Ginny says, startled yet happy to see her nine friends. "Sorry we came so late to the station, it was so busy and we kept forgetting things..."

"Tis alright," Jiwons says as she stretches lazily. "We had to leave you behind, sorry." Ginny only grins before taking a seat next to Shonk. "So, how was your summer?"

Kayoon raises one perfect eyebrow and smirks. "You were there, Ginny. For most of it, anyway." The girl blushes, and Katherine whacks Kayoon on the shoulder for being rude. Ginny still isn't used to being around the beautiful girl; she feels inferior, even though Kayoon has never acted superior to her. Emma, now bored again, takes out a pair strange-looking devices (to Ginny) and begins scrolling through one of them. "Emma," Joanne says, shaking her head softly. "You know electronics don't work in the magical world." Said girl merely shrugs and decides on what she wants to listen to. Miraculously, the song player begins to play, and the rest of the girls look on in different stages of shock. Ginny is surprised by the sounds coming from the small metal box. She has never seen anything quite like it before, and decides it must be some muggle object.

The rest of the girls are shocked that Emma's iPod works in the magical world. All magical parents had warned them technology doesn't work in the magical world, and forbade them from bringing their phones and computers. Obviously, Emma manages to sneak her iPod onto the train, and is now nodding along to some random song that plays through her earbuds (which she also manages to bring and plugs in soon after confirming the iPod still works). Jo, still flabbergasted on how the device works, taps Emma on the shoulder. The girl, annoyed, pulls out her earbuds and grumbles, "What."

"How is it that this is possible?" Jo asks.

"I dunno," Emma shrugs. "It just _is_. Not everything has an answer to it, you know." Jo lets the subject drop, and the compartment is once again enveloped in silence.

Once again, the silence breaks, but this time it's Hermione that enters through the doorway. "Oh, hello, Hermione." Joanne is the first to voice her hellos again. A chorus of hellos rings around the apartment, and they all greet the clever girl except for Emma, who is now asleep. "Hello, you nine. Hello, Ginny," Hermione greets in her usual tone. "Have you seen Harry and Ron?"

"I haven't, actually," Katherine says, realizing that she hasn't seen the two boys the last time they visited. "I thought they were with you?"

Ginny shrugs helplessly, but she too is confused on why her brother and crush aren't on the train. "Maybe they're just in another compartment?" she tries weakily, but Hermione only shakes her head. "I've checked every compartment on the train, including the compartment Malfoy is in." She wrinkles her nose at the mention of Malfoy, and Jiwon groans as she remembers the ferret faced boy. Audrey only chuckles quietly as she remembers the boy who looks like her hamster. "He's hamster boy!" she says, and ignores Hermione's curious and skeptical glance.

"Ignore her, Hermione," Ginny says jokingly. "It's for your best interests at heart." Ginny feels tentative at poking fun towards one of the nine, since she feels she isn't as close to them as they are to eachother. Since the American Nine seem to be a very tight group, Ginny isn't sure whether her comment would be accepted well or not. Her fears are for not, though, as the rest laugh heartily. Audrey doesn't mind either; she only continues bobbing her head like a jack-in-the-box.

"They'll come through," Joanne says, smiling at the older girl. "I'm sure they just got lost somewhere. They'll make it to Hogwarts one way or the other. You'll see."

"Hermione," Jiwon asks suddenly, "do you have feelings for Harry or Ron?" Kayoon leans forwards, interested, as does Jo, who loves a good romance. Ginny also leans forward, as she wants to know whether the bookish girl has a crush on Harry too. _If yes, I'm sure he'd choose her over me_ , she thought, disheartened.

Jiwon did not expect an answer, but is pleasantly surprised as Hermione blushes a deep red. "Really?" Shonk asks, surprised.

"Wow," Emma says, now awake. "I did not see that one coming."

"Since when _do_ you see something coming?" Jenny asks, smiling.

"I saw that terrible attempt of a comeback coming," Emma replies without a beat, smirking triumphantly as Jenny pouts.

"Okay, that wasn't necessary," she complains.

"Or was it?"

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Wasn't."

"Was."

"Fine, I give," Jenny finally says, shaking her head. "How can you say 'was' for so long, but you can't even sit still for 10 seconds?" It's true, for Emma is already tapping her fingers against the windowsill five minutes after she wakes up. "I'm special that way," Emma says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Jenny only snorts, but consents nonetheless. "Who is it?" Kayoon asks, steering the conversation back on track. "Who?" Hermione blushes deeper and mutters under her breath. "What was that?" Jiwon grins. "I couldn't hear you."

Said girl draws a deep breath and says quickly, "Ron."

The entire compartment erupts in an uproar, Kayoon squealing loudly, Jiwon laughing speculatively (probably trying to think of a shipname in 5 seconds flat), Joanne rocking back and forth muttering "I knew it, I knew it" to herself, Katherine smiling softly (probably grinning evily inside at the blackmail potential), Audrey rubbing her hands together (BLACKMAIL!) while grinning broadly, Jenny cheering silently for Hermione, Shonk nodding knowingly as if she's known all along, and Olivia and Emma exchanging glances like "These people are absolutely nuts." Ginny breathes a silent sigh of relief (since she still has a chance), but is at the same time baffled that a girl like Hermione would like a boy like her brother Ron.

"I did not see that one coming," Emma repeats. "But... you do you, I suppose." She shrugs and trys for a kind smile, but it turns out looking like a smirk all the same. "I don't judge.

"But really..." she says afterwards, grinning. "Why _Ron_?"

"Why not?" Hermione asks challengingly, but the blush still evident on her cheeks ruin the effect. In truth, she's asking herself the same question too. Why would smart, bookish, clever Hermione fall for pig, average, no-manners Ron? Sure, he did some pretty brave things, and sacrificing himself so Harry and herself could continue on back at the chess set in first year was just so brave and it made her heart flutter... _ugh, snap out of it, Hermione!_ She told herself. _It's just a crush._ But that's what she'd been telling herself all summer. _You're still young anyways,_ she thinks to herself. _You'll probably grow out of it._ Why does love do such strange things to people? She absolutely doesn't understand it, and love is the one thing Hermione Granger does not ever want to understand.

"That's so cute!" Kayoon is says. "I'm so happy for you! Oh, we've got to plan the wedding! I'm thinking almond and white, since those colors look so nice together and they match your hair. And we could add some blue colors, like Ron's eyes, and it'll be by the sea because that would be _so_ romantic. Then, we'd have to put it in summer, or maybe the last day of seventh year for you guys? We could have a graduation/marriage party! And then all of your friends could be there! So then, afterwards, we need to plan refreshments, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley could and would be more than happy to take care of that, and where would it be? We could have it at Long Island Sound, near our apartment in America, I know the waters are so clear and beautiful there, and-"

"KAYOON!" Olivia barks, rolling her eyes. "Focus, woman. Since when did you get all excited about this stuff?"

"I thought it was Joanne," Emma adds innocently, though they can all see the wicked glint in her eyes. Jo doesn't even bother responding to the comment; she merely leans on Shonk's shoulder and sighs tiredly.

"You're very rude, aren't you?" Hermione asks Emma.

"No," she replies flippantly. "Just keeping everyone on their toes. If you can't even respond to a potentially harmful comment your friend speaks to you, how are you going to respond when someone like, say, Malfoy, says something rude? I don't mean to be rude, everyone knows I'm just teasing anyway. Well, except you." Hermione glares at who she thinks is an imprudent girl, but Emma glares back defiantly. Hermione balks slightly at the almost evil gleam in the girl's eyes. It reminds her of a picture of Hades, the god of the dead, she saw in a book somewhere on Greek myths.

"You know I'm only teasing right, Jo?" Emma asks after a moment. Jo looks up and sees the insecurity Emma is desparately trying to hide and nods while smiling. "I'm just not going to say something because you're just going to say something even more snarky back," Jo says, grinning. "'You can't beat me in my own game,'" she says, imitating Emma when she taunts her friends. Emma laughs and returns to her book, which she'd taken out after Hermione had entered.

"Back to Kayoon," Olivia says stiffly (she's not happy with the way Hermione thinks she can boss Emma, or any of her friends, around). "What's gotten into you?"

"I dunno," Kayoon shrugs, confused. "It's probably just a phase."

"Well, hopefully it goes away," Katherine says, snickering. "You sound like a fangirl."

"Like Jiwon," Audrey adds, cackling.

"Hey!" Jiwon yells angrily. "I do _not_ sound like that." She then begins muttering to herself in rapid Korean. The rest ignore her, since they couldn't possibly understand what she's saying anyways. "I'll just join you guys then," Hermione says with an air of finality. She plops herself next to Ginny and looks around. She doesn't notice Ginny edging slightly away from her as she pulls out a thick tome to read.

Ginny is not amused. She's always liked Hermione for her smartness, and for the fact that she is the only girl too. They've gotten along pretty well, but Ginny has always been a little annoyed with Hermione's "I-Know-Everything" attitude. She saw the challenging look in Hermione's eyes when Emma talked back, and it was as if she thought her below her as she looked under her nose at Emma like she was a piece of junk. She also saw the way Hermione had glanced at Audrey when she made the comment about Malfoy looking like her hamster. It irkes Ginny that Hermione thinks she can do that, just look down on people just because she thinks she's smarter, and because people are saying she's the smartest witch of her age. _Well good golly_ , Ginny thinks to herself. _I'm glad she has a crush on Ron. Ron'll tone her down a few notches, he cares_ nothing _for smartness. Hermione's going to have to start being polite to everyone if she ever wants a chance with Ron._

But Ginny also knows that Hermione is rather insecure. Though she acts high and mighty, Ginny knows it's because she's afraid she won't be accepted if she doesn't act smart. She doesn't know better, Ginny understands, and feels her face relax slightly as she realizes Hermione just doesn't know how to act in front of people like Emma and Audrey and the rest of the Americans. _She'll learn,_ Ginny nods knowingly, _and will adapt accordingly._

The compartment members settle down relatively well, with everyone either reading (Emma, Jo, Katherine, Shonk, Hermione), gossiping (Jiwon, Kayoon, and Jenny), or playing Exploding Snap (Audrey, Olivia, and Ginny). It is quiet for some time, with the occasional _bang_ of an exploding card, but nothing really interesting happens until the trolley lady comes. The trolley lady is a plumb little woman with the biggest smile. She has sparkling blue eyes and white, poofy hair. She asks kindly whether or not they would like anything, and Jiwon, Jenny, Olivia, and Shonk immediately jump up and voice their assent. Thus, Jo carefully counts out several small silver and bronze coins (since she was the money keeper), and gave it to her other friends to buy what they wanted. Ginny doesn't take the money at first, but when Jiwon shoves it into her hand and won't let her return it, Ginny reluctantly buys some of her favorite candies (she is much happier after she spies some sugar quills).

Hermione also buys some candies, and she regales the younger girls with the stories of adventures she and the two boys had during their first year. She tells them about the third floor corridor, the strange Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, the troll during Halloween (which had been let in by said strange DADA teacher), Harry's first Quidditch game, Snape's encounter with the Cerberus Fluffy, and about the Golden Trio's adventure through the corridor past Fluffy from Hagrid, a Devil's Snare provided by Professor Sprout, flying keys charmed by Professor Flitwick, a giant chessboard transfigured by Professor McGonagall, another troll from Quirrel, a logic potions puzzle from Professor Snape, and Dumbledore's challenge of the Mirror of Erised. She tells them about each professor, what they taught and how nice they were, and explained when Shonk asks for more details on the Mirror of Erised that only Harry made it to that stage, and that Dumbledore had explained the functions of the mirror to him but he did not share it with her.

Emma and Olivia are very interested in the tale of the Sorcerer's Stone, and they ask Hermione whether or not she thinks they'll go on another crazy adventure this year. "I don't know," the clever girl answers, biting her lip. "I certainly hope not."

"I think it would be fun," Jenny confesses. "I've always wanted to be a superhero."

"Well, technically that would depend on what side you're on," Emma says in a matter-of-fact tone. "The superhero is the hero to whichever side they support, so the villian would be the superhero for the villian side. You could be a superhero and still be the 'bad guy' of the story."

"But, the superhero is the one who supports the public," Joanne challenges. "Thus, the villian could never be the superhero because they always have their own interests in mind."

"That's not always true," Emma counters. "The villian could have the public's best interest in mind, but not know that it is not what the public wants. Besides, usually the villian has a tragic backstory and is raised thinking what they're doing is right. The superhero, on the other hand, is raised to be the hero, aka saving the world from the big bad villian who obviously only has his or her own interests in mind since the villian could never be a good guy, right? So, the villian could be the superhero in a sense if they were educated properly. Plus, the villian is usually much more intelligent than the superhero is; I think Pitch Black, the Boogeyman myth, is probably much smarter than the Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy."

"So basically there is no true superhero," Katherine summarizes.

"Yup," Emma shrugs, chewing on the end of a cauldron cake.

"I don't understand why you guys get in such lengthy debates on obvious facts, or facts that can be summarized in one sentence," Katherine sniffs, shaking her head. "It's a waste of time if you ask me."

"Well, nobody asked you," Audrey answers cheekily as she picks up a chocolate frog, before becoming serious. "Smart people like to debate about the morality of some things. Many simple things like ones that can be summarized in one sentence usually have deeper answers than just the summary. It's called..." she pauses for dramatic effect, "the analysis."

"Yeah, well I wouldn't do that," Katherine mutters. "It's just not sensible. It's fun to watch though," she says as she brightens. "It's like watching a dogfight!"

"You mean catfight," Jenny corrects.

"Nop, dog fight," Katherine laughs as Jenny growls angrily. "You sound like a mad dog."

Jenny is very mad now, and she says, "You fat, furry cheesestick!" Jenny hates chesse. Katherine is very insulted, and the two begin trading insults and evidence on why either cats and dogs are better than the other.

"That's actually surprisingly insightful of you, Audrey," Kayoon says, amazed, ignoring the argument between her friends. Usually, Audrey doesn't say anything that isn't cheeky, sarcastic, or screaming. She rarely becomes philosophical, but when she does she is surprisingly insightful and delivers very observant messages.

Audrey only grins before checking out her card. "I got Slytherin!" she says, grinning as she munches on the leg of her frog. She reads, "One of the four celebrated founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Salazar Slytherin was one of the first recorded Parselmouths, an accomplished Legilimens, and a notorious champion of pureblood supremecy. One thing to note about him was that, according to legend, he built a mythical chamber in Hogwarts castle called 'The Chamber of Secrets.' This chamber's existence has never been confirmed, yet it lives within Hogwarts fairytale as a child myth."

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Ginny asks, her eyes big. "What's that?" Not even Hermione knows, and she looks physically in pain at the fact that she does not know the answer to a question.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Kayoon assures the distraught girl. "The legend of the Chamber of Secrets is very obscure and rarely written down in books. Some very old families pass down this story to their children, and I think I remember my mom telling me about it. The chamber is one hidden in or under the school. It is said to have been built by Salazar Slytherin before he left the school. It is a well-known fact that Slytherin did not get along with the other founders, especially on the matter of who would be allowed to enter to school. Slytherin said purebloods only while the others insisted on students of halfblood and muggleborn descent as well. Slytherin was not happy and left the school. Before that though, he built the Chamber of Secrets. The other founders didn't know anything about it, and neither do we, but legend says that Slytherin sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that nobody would be able to open it except for his true heir. This heir, and only the heir, would be able to unlock the chamber and unleash the horror within. This horror is said to be a terrible monster, and the heir would use it to purge the school of all muggleborns, who Slytherin believed were unworthy of studying or even possessing magic."

"How would the heir be able to open the chamber if nobody else can?" Shonk asks, puzzled (for once). "If the chamber is sealed by one of the greatest wizards of the age, no doubt by ancient magic, how would a schoolchild be able to unseal the chamber and unleash this 'horror?'" She said, imitating quotation marks when she emphasized horror.

"Doesn't matter," Jiwon says as she digs through her pile of candy. "Like the card says, it's probably just a myth."

Most of the compartment's inhabitants agree with Jiwon and quickly forget about the Chamber. Only two individuals remember: Hermione because she wants to make sure she knows all about it the next time someone asks, and Joanne because she has a gut feeling (the reliable gut feeling) that the Chamber would be a big thing in school that year. She tells herself not to worry, since Jiwon was right it really _was_ just a myth. The chocolate frog says the Chamber had never been discovered, and yet... Joanne cannot shake off the feeling that something bad is going to happen, and that it has to do with the Chamber of Secrets.

She's soon pulled out of her troubling thoughts by the opening of the compartment door a third time. "We really need to lock that door," Olivia says, grumbling. "Anyone know the lock charm?" She looks up to see Sophie Loupias, the older girl who'd saved Joanne the day they went to Diagon Alley.

"Who're you?" Jiwon asks with a Bertie Bott's bean in her mouth.

"Don't you remember?" Jenny asks her. "It's Sophie Loupias, the one who helped Jo get to Diagon Alley."

"Oh, right." Jiwon doesn't say any more, and contents herself to her beans.

"Fancy seeing you all here," Loupias says in her strange (French) accent. "I was wondering when we'd meet again."

"I was hoping never," Emma mutters under her breath, but doesn't spare the French girl a glance as she looks sharply at her. "What?"

Sophie Loupias turns away from Emma and looks directly at Joanne. "Oh, it's you!" she says, giggling slightly. "You're the one who got lost during Apparation."

"Yeah," Joanne replies reluctantly. "I didn't get lost this time."

"Someone must have had to tied you to them so you wouldn't get lost," she says, laughing to herself. The rest of the Americans try not to look at eachother, since Audrey _did_ tie Joanne to her during Apparation.

"What makes you say that," Olivia glares. "Maybe Joanne _can_ actually hold on during Apparation, and she just _chose_ to fall into your house so she could warn us what a-" she pauses, trying to think of a good word that wasn't too inappropriate.

"A butt," Kayoon offers, sucking on a sugar quill.

"What a butt you are," Olivia concludes, choosing to use Kayoon's insult (no matter how strange or Kayoon it was).

"You know what, I think you should just go away. We don't have a rat or anything like Ron did when Harry and him confronted Malfoy, but we _do_ have others who can claw your face off."

It was true, for the girls had also boughten themselves pets during the Diagon Alley trip. Joanne, Jenny, Emma, and Kayoon had gotten themselves owls while Shonk, Katherine, Olivia, and Jiwon got themselves cats. Audrey bought a big fat toad by the name of Beatrice, and she loved him very much.

For some reason, when they all brought their familiars out Sophie only cooed and began trying to pet Emma's owl. The large, black great-horned owl is the least friendly amongst all of the pets, and sets about trying to bite the French's finger off.

"What's going on here?" a new voice says, and Jiwon looks up to see none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Oh look, it's the hamster boy," Jiwon says lazily, echoing what Audrey had said about the boy before. Malfoy looks afronted, but nobody pays him any mind as they are too occupied with watching Nico, Emma's owl, try to bite Sophie's hand.

Eventually, he succeeds and Sophie pulls back with a scream of pain. "You're a good owl," Emma laughs as the two unwanted guests run out of the room. "You are very good."

"I can't believe you did that," Shonk says as she pets her cat, O'Keeffe Carson. "That was so mean of your owl; I want my cat to learn to do that too."

Emma carefully moves past all the pets and piles of candy and sets her owl by Shonk's cat. She stoops down to Nico's level and tells him sternly, "You need to teach O'Keeffe over here how to be bad, okay?" she pets the owl as he blinks twice at her. "Good." Emma makes her way back to her seat and picks up her book, hoping for no more distractions.

Joanne pats her own owl, a gray owl by the name of Athena, and reaches her hand to pet Katherine's black cat, the Ancient CatCat. "How much longer until we reach Hogwarts?" Jo asks.

Katherine says there were probably a few more minutes left, and Hermione afformed that statement."We'll probably be there soon."

"We should change into our robes now," Katherine says, checking her (mechanical) watch. "We won't have time to do it later." They all take turns changing, and even help Ginny clean and straighten her hand-me-down robes. The red-head seems embarrassed to be surrounded by so many new cloaks (which must have costed a fortune), but the other girls don't bother with such nonsense as they help her make the robes look new again.

"Five more minutes," Shonk says almost to herself, bouncing up and down slightly. "Then we'll see Hogwarts."

"I'm nervous," Ginny admits, and her face looks a little green.

"Don't be," Olivia tells her gruffly (she's not good with this comfort stuff). "It's just a Sorting. How bad could it be?"

"Just pretend you're confessing to Potter," Audrey unhelpfully says. "It'll be better that way."

"Don't listen to Audrey," Jiwon says as she shoves Audrey playfully. "You'll be fine. Just imagine BTS is clapping for you, and you're going to meet them-"

"Woman!" Olivia yells, shaking her head. "She doesn't even know who BTS _is_!"

"Just breathe in, breathe out. Calm down," Katherine instructs helpfully. "Imagine you are at home, and you are about to play a Quidditch game with your brothers. You're probably a bit nervous that you'll lose and that your brothers will tease you about it, but you're probably excited because you love Quidditch, right? Think about this experience as the same thing. Sure, you're probably nervous that you might trip on your robes and fall on your face in front of the entire school, but think! We're at Hogwarts! We've been looking forward to this moment our entire lives! No matter what happens, you'll be fine, and you're at Hogwarts where you've always wanted to be."

"Katherine's right," Joanne says, smiling lightly at the calmer girl. "It's Hogwarts! Imagine all the classes we'll take, and the things we'll learn! It'll be amazing, and we can learn how to be true witches and wizards!"

Kayoon rolls her eyes at her friends but says, "Trust Joanne to always think about school. Hogwarts will be an amazing experience though, that will be true. We'll see so many people, and meet new friends, and learn magic! Magic is beautiful, and we'll be able to use it ourselves."

"I don't know where we'll go," Emma admits, shrugging. They'd discussed it before, but gave up after realizing they were all too complex to fit into just one house. "And we're probably all going into different houses." This is true too, since they knew Joanne would never be in the same house as Emma. "But I do know one thing. We'll still be friends, and we'll always have eachother to rely on. Even though some houses have bad histories, it's not going to split us apart. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, it's all one thing. In truth, we should all be all of the Houses: brave, kind, wise, and ambitious."

"Seriousness aside," she says, grinning mischeviously now. "Imagine all those hidden secrets! We could explore the Forbidden Forest and all of Hogwart's forbidden corridors. We could find all the secret rooms in the castle, and all the dusty corners where secrets are usually hidden!"

"Imagine how many people we could prank!" Audrey smirks, sharing wicked grins with Jenny, Katherine, and Emma. Ginny smiles and thanks her friends.

"Thanks," she says, breathing deepily.

In that moment, the train stops. "This is it," Hermione says, smiling at the first years. "Remember to smile, be happy, and enjoy your time at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a place for all students to learn. It's amazing, and wait til you see the castle."

"I've seen it in pictures," Shonk offers, but Hermione tells her the castle is much more awe-inspiring than any picture.

"Let's go!" Jenny says, bouncing on the balls of her toes. "I wanna see the castle!"

The eleven girls file out of their compartment and join the mad rush of students towards the exit. It's cold outside, and Jenny shivers as she pulls her cloak tighter around her. The skirts girls are required to wear really didn't block out the cold. She glances enviously at the boys' long pants as she trotts after her friends.

On the platform is Hagrid, the large half-giant. He is dressed in warm furs, and Jenny is really jealous that everyone seems warm but her. "You okay?" Ginny asks, and Jenny nods, smiling at her slightly taller friend. "I'm good."

Hermione leaves them on the platform, saying that first years had a special mode of transportation to the castle. "Good luck," she says before she leaves. "And remember to enjoy." The girls hear Hagrid yell, "Firs' years, firs' years, o'er here! Don't be shy now, there's nothin' to be scared abou'."

"Hullo, Hagrid," Jiwon shouts up at the large man, and he replies with a "hello, you ten. How's Harry and Ron?" They only nod, because they're not sure how Hagrid would react if he knows Harry and Ron were not on the train. The big man leads the crowd of huddling first years down a steep, narrow path. The students slip and slide their way down, and it was very dark. Hagrid tells them they'd get their first sight of Hogwarts after turning the bend, and everyone walks a little faster because they're eager to see Hogwarts Castle.

It definitely does not disappoint, for it is a massive castle with many turrets and towers. All the windows are ablaze with light, and Jenny so much wants to be inside because it looks so warm there. The nine are all very impressed, and Jo is literally drooling at the amazing architecture of the place. "Wow," Olivia whispers. "This is so cool."

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid shouts then, and that's when they notice the dark lake between them and the castle. They also notice the fleet of little boats bobbing at the water's edge. Olivia, Joanne, Audrey, and Kayoon take a boat and Emma, Jenny, Selena, and Katherine take another. Jiwon and Ginny join another boat with two others, but they don't take much notice of eachother since they're still too busy gawking at the castle. Emma for some reason feels a little hesitant about entering this large body of water. She's always been a little wary of the sea, even if she loved playing in it, but she has never figured out way. Nevertheless, she shrugs and takes a seat by Jenny.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid yells, having a whole boat to himself. "Right then - forward!" The boats glide smoothly over the water, and nobody talked. The castle draws nearer, until Hagrid tells them to bend their heads as the boats pass under a curtain of ivy. They are carried through a dark tunnel of sorts, and they reach an underground harbor where they all get off their boats. Hagrid, who was checking the boats, called out, "Oy, you there! Is this your toad?" Audrey peers into the boat Hagrid is pointing at and scoops out Beatrice. "You're a bad toad," Ginny hears her mutter as they climb the steps to a large wooden door. "Very bad toad, Beatrice." Once they reach the door, Hagrid raises one huge fist and knocks. The doors swing open ominously, and they continue on into Hogwarts.

In front of the open door is a tall, thin witch with a cat-like face. She wears emerald green robes and has her black hair tied in a tight bun atop her head. Her spectacles glint off the light of the torches, and she looks very stern. Even Audrey is quiet, for she knows this is not a woman anyone wants to cross. Hagrid introduces her as Professor McGonagall, and she leads the first years into a small chamber near the Great Hall. The students can hear the loud chatter of other students in the room, and it makes them all the more nervous.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said shortly. She had a very business-like tone, and she obviously took no nonsense. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, you house will be like your family." She pauses here and peers through her glasses at all of the nervous children. "You will have classes with the rest of your house," she continues. "You will sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw... and Slytherin." She says Slytherin with a hint of disdain. "Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding withces and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rulebreaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours." Olivia's, Emma's, and Katherine's faces shine brightly, revealing their excitement at the prospect of a competition.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we're ready for you. Please wait quietly." The professor then turns on her heels and exits the room. The chamber erupts in small conversations as they wait for the professor to return. "This is it," Kayoon says while trying to discreetly neaten her bun. "We're going to be sorted, and that's that."

"Deep breathes," Katherine reminds everyone. "Deep breathes."

"I'm trying!" Emma hisses as she trys to control her clammy hands. "But it's hard to breathe when you feel like you're going to suffocate from so many other nervous people!"

Jo pokes Emma and tells her to calm down. Emma begins to pet Joanne softly on the head, and they both seem to calm slightly.

"I can't do this," Jiwon says, swallowing hard. "Yes, you can!" she begins giving herself a pep talk. "You've got this! V does this all the time, you should be able to too. He has to perform in front of thousands of people. You're just being sorted! It's not that hard. Right?"

"Kpop idols have to go through a lot of training and stage presence before they're even ready to perform," Olivia replies to the rhetorical question idly. "So yes, it's probably very hard."

"Shut up."

Ginny looks very pale now, and Jenny doesn't look much better.

"Move along now." Professor McGonagall has returned. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start. Form a line and follow me." They all do as they're told, and Professor McGonagall leads them into the Great Hall. The nervousness of the Sorting disapates for a few moments as they take in the Great Hall. The ceiling above looks like the night sky, and according to Hermione had been bewitched to look like the sky outside. Four long rows of tables were gilded with golden plates, cups, and utensils, and the Headmaster sat in a large golden thrown at the head table. It was all illuminated by thousands of candles floating in the air, and the experience was all so strange and splendid at the same time that even Selena was at lost of words.

The professor tells them to wait at the steps leading up to the head table, and she silently sets down a ruffled and very dirty hat on a three-legged stool. _Maybe we'll have to do a magic trick,_ Jo thinks wildly as the hall waits in silence. Hermione had refused to tell them how they would be sorted, and Jo feels very nervous since she really dislikes surprises.

To Jo's surprise, the hat twitches, then opens its mouth and begins to sing:

"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,

but don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find,

a smarter hat than me.

You can keep you bowlers black,

your top hats sleek and tall,

for I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

and I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

the Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

where dwell the brave at heart,

their daring, nerve, and chivalry,

set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

where they are just and loyal,

those patient Hufflepuffs are true

and unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravencalw, if you've a ready mind,

where those of wit and learning,

will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

those cunning folks use any means

to achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands (though I have none)

for I'm a thinking cap!"

The halls bursts into applause as the hat finishes his song. He bows to the four tables before going silent on the stool. "So that's how we're sorted," Shonk whispers. "We just have to put on the hat! It's not too hard."

McGongall then steps forward with a long role of parchment and begins calling names:

"Adams, Caroline" is the first one, and she is sorted into Hufflepuff. "Baker, Shannon" and "Barnet, Jennifer" are both sorted into Ravenclaw, while "Bennett, Jamie" becomes the first Gryffindor. "Campbell, Sandy" is another Hufflepuff, "Chen, Amanda" is made a Gryffindor, and then the first member of the group is called.

"Chen, Olivia."

 _Haha finally updated! If you're probably wondering why Shonk has such few lines, it's because she only speaks when something important happens. She's usually kind of quiet and prefers to listen and observe instead of talk; that's Jiwon's job. :)_


	5. Not a Update

**Not an update, sorry.**

 _So basically, I just want to vent a little bit. I know you guys probably weren't looking for this when you saw an update and you're probably disappointed, but I kind of want to talk about this since I'm still a little frustrated about it. Disclaimer first: basically, I'm kinda upset right now (if you haven't noticed) and will probably same some offensive things. If I do, please don't take offense by it since I tend to exaggerate a lot when I'm mad. Also, this is kind of long so if you don't want to read this philosophical (in my opinion) debate on life, stress, and summer school, you can go ahead and ignore this and wait for the next update or read my other fanfics that I've sort of started and hopefully will continue._

 _I feel like students, especially teens, are always pressured to have to do good in school and take many APs to get into college. Like, if you don't take at least 15 APs, the Ivy Leagues and stuff won't even look at your application. If your GPA is lower than a 4.5, you're not going into Stanford at all. For the normal kids, I mean. And Asians already have a low acceptence rate (much lower than the white population, no offense but it's kind of true) since we're apparently try-hards or something, so we have to be even more try-hard to get into one of those 名牌 (sorry I didn't know how else to say it, look it up on google translate, piyin is mingpai) schools. It's really stressful and high schoolers have collapsed because of stress and tiredness. People get depression because they're so stressed out and feel like they have to be good or else their future will be ruined. And let's be honest, your life will be ruined if you don't get into at least a decent college (like Miramar College just isn't good enough for some professions unfortunately)._

 _Personally, I feel like this entire clockwork is really stupid. Like, how does staying up till three o' clock in the morning supposed to show you are a good person? Sure, it means you're dedicated, but you probably fell out of your chair in math even though you aced your chemistry AP test. Also, some people are naturally smart but don't have the brain capacity to store all of that useless information (like algebra) into their heads. They're pretty much smarter than the rest of humans with an IQ that's off the charts, but they are the janitor of elementary school because they didn't feel like taking all of those AP classes. And really, what's the point of stressing people out? Is it somehow enjoyable to see kids suffering and tearing their hair out because they have to get that 4.8 GPA? Is it funny to see kids struggling with lack of sleep and depression because they want a good future? It's all really biased and based off of dumbness. Like, "Hey, we're going to measure your smartness by seeing how much of this 3,000 paged book you can remember because that's how smart works, right?" Ugh... sorry to disappoint, but not all of us can be a Hermione Granger. And even though I love her, she's not exactly smart. Sure, she has a really large brain capacity to remember all of those definitions and spells, but that doesn't mean she's smart. Harry's actually the one who sort of forms the plans, and he's the one who sees the true problem before Hermione does, partially because he's smarter (survival instinct and logically wise) and also because he's kind of reckless (but that's not the point). Basically, some of the best people are thrown away into mundane lifestyles because they couldn't or just didn't feel like coping with this horribly boring, repetitive, and stressful lifestyle._

 _People even take summer school to gain credit. How crazy is that?! Why would you throw your summer away to study? It sounds so stupid, but people actually do that (like me cuz I want to go somewhere in life unfortunately). And it really destroys your social clock. Now you can't go to Laser Tag with your friends after promotion because you have stupid summer school to go to. You can't spend the entire morning on your phone because you have summer school to wake up for. You can't practice your instruments because you have to go to summer school. You can't really do anything because you have to go to summer school. And why do they do that? Becasue of the school system that states in order to be successful, you have to kill yourself and show your dedication by stuffing your face into books 24-7 and prove you're prepared for the outside world by taking SAT practice tests every other day in order to study for the SAT test that's coming up at the end of the year._

 _Not to insult schools or anything since I find it rather enjoyable, but I really wanted to go to Laser Tag with my friends since I haven't gone in a long time and I'm going to a different school than my friends. But of course because I'm Asian (not to be racist or stereotypical it's a real thing in my school) and want to earn credits and be smart and go to Harvard, I need to go to summer school to earn credit so I don't have to take Health in the school year so I can stalk up on electives and other things. I'm really annoyed since my mom says maybe I can do it on my birthday, but it just seems repetitive and it'll just be awkward since it's not like I'm going to ever see them again anyways. And there's a summer camp going on so it'll be awkward again. But I really didn't want to pass up the chance, but I can't miss summer school cuz I want to be successful in life. This just goes back to the school systems that make you choose between success and happiness. This is just my own opinion on it, but I feel like whenever I'm hoping to improve my future, I'm throwing away my happiness in the process. But if I choose to be happy, I risk throwing my future away and causing a hole that will take forever to patch up. I'm so done and I want to punch something, but I'm going to scare my dog so I'm just going to stop and write another chapter for this story. Hopefully it will be published soon, and thanks to anyone who actually bothered reading my short rant that nobody asked for but I'm giving anyways._


End file.
